Further to Minute 43 of the meeting held on 9 January 2019, the Executive Director for Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report providing the Sub-Committee with the results of the statutory consultation on the Red Route Bays on Oxford Road and Norcot Road.  The plans that had been advertised publicly showing the location and detail of the west Reading red route proposals was attached to the report at Appendix 1 and the objections and other comments, which had been submitted formally, were attached at Appendix 2.

The report explained that following the introduction of the experimental red route on the west side of Reading in the summer of 2018 a request for an additional loading bay on Oxford Road had been received from a local business and had been installed in October 2018.  After a petition from residents in Norcot Road had been presented to the Sub-Committee in January 2019 parking bays had been installed for the residents on Norcot Road in July 2019.  The Sub-Committee had agreed to make the west Reading red route order permanent and officers had recommended that these additional bays be progressed through statutory consultation, for completeness of process.  Officers had been approved to carry out the statutory consultation for these bays at the September 2019 meeting (Minute 15 refers).  The statutory consultation had taken place between 5 and 26 March 2020.

The report stated that no objections had been received to date in respect of the new loading bay on Oxford Road, so the report recommended that this should be implemented by making the Traffic Regulation Order.  There had been a number of comments provided for the Norcot Road bay restrictions but the view of officers was that the bays were located in appropriate locations for the nature and layout of the road and provided on-street and legitimate parking facilities for nearby residents and visitors.  The report recommended that these be implemented by making the Traffic Regulation Order.  The report also asked that the Sub-Committee noted that the bay on Oxford Road and the bays on Norcot Road had been advertised in a single Traffic Regulation Order.

The Sub-Committee discussed the report and concern was expressed about the implementation of the restrictions along Norcot Road as set out in Appendix 1.  Residents had parked on the verges but with the introduction of the red route this was no longer possible, so they were now parking on the road which was what the red route had been intended to stop.  Residents had also been subject to enforcement action when they crossed the verges to park in their driveways.  It was therefore agreed that the implementation of the restrictions on Norcot Road should be deferred and that a further review and discussion be carried out by officers and a report on the outcome submitted to the next meeting.

Resolved –   

(1)     That the report be noted.

(2)     That having considered the objections set out in Appendix 2, attached to the report, the restrictions be implemented as advertised subject to the implementation of the restrictions on Norcot Road being deferred for further review and discussion to be carried out by officers and a report on the outcome submitted to the next meeting;

(3)     That the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services be authorised to seal the resultant Traffic Regulation Order and no public inquiry be held into to the proposals;

(4)     That the respondents to the statutory consultation be informed of the decision of the Sub-Committee, following publication of the meeting minutes;

(5)     That the delivery of the resultant restrictions be progressed by officers.