Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

Consultation with local residents over parking on Outwoods Drive is currently under way. Do please participate.

The second part of the consultation on student parking is now taking place and I understand residents on Outwoods Drive are being asked preferences. This follows the original report of the Members' Parking Committee, which Cllrs Walker, Jukes and myself were involved in preparing, with others, especially with regard to Outwoods and Nanpantan Wards. That Report to Highways Forum then led to a two stage process, the first a consultation on the other side of campus, the second, more recently, onthese two wards.

Although we all know the arguments are very well rehearsed, and have been for months, if not years, do please ensure you complete it as you yourself would wish. Sometimes people tell councillors one thing on the doorstep, but really would prefer another. This is your chance to reinforce with officers what each of you would like, and then we can see the collective response. We are, for example, well aware that it is not only students' cars that are parked on the roadside and kerb and can cause visual obstruction. So this is not just about 'students'!

Meantime, and totally separate, the earlier consultation over lines on the corner of Outwoods Drive and beyond that along Forest Road took place, and the outcome is that lines will be put in very shortly. The corner is where we all began our campaign years ago. Forest Road, initiated by County Officers, was more contentious, and modifications from consultation responses have now been made. While there were some who disagreed, there had been requests for further restrictions on Forest Road from local people. It would seem on all these issues one can rarely please all of the people all of the time.

All your three councillors have worked hard on this, irrespective of political background. I hope that when your next set of responses go in with regard to the whole of Outwoods Drive, wewill see further progress. It is just very regrettable that these consultations and Traffic Regulation Orders take minimum 18 months.