The proposals consulted on for Orchid Road are shown below. No comments were received objecting.
Please see the attached image below where the department plan to place double yellow lines.
Comments: The community concerns that first prompted the proposals were reiterated by the resident;
reporting that parking by a small number of vehicles alongside the inner kerbline of the circle often
leaves it very difficult for domestic vehicles to access the premises beyond, leaving the ability for a fire
crew to reach these homes in severe doubt. Four other households sent emails supporting this view.
Two occupants of one adjacent home submitted matching comments in objection, stating that they felt
the green area should be partially paved to accommodate up to 6 cars, thus avoiding the need for the
yellow lines. They mentioned that the north-east end of the road offered relatively little on-street parking
capacity relative to the number of fronting homes, which number more than 30, hence feeling that the
loss of any spaces was unreasonable.
Officer Response: Sections 1 and 2 above set out the department’s imperative to prioritise sites and
tackle them in the most resource-efficient manner possible. Accordingly, it is beyond the reasonable
scope of the junction protection programme to fund – for the convenience of car-owners in this particular
street – the paving over of green areas, where the equivalent expenditure might cover the addition of
road markings at 10 or 20 problem sites elsewhere.
Physical measures to maximise domestic parking convenience at public expense – such as paving green
swards and adding footway parking – have been introduced only in very exceptional cases in the last
decade by the Council, and its declaration of a climate emergency in 2019 reinforces the principle that
its focus must be on promoting more active and sustainable travel instead. Given the rising population
the attempt to keep pace with an un-constrained level of domestic parking demand by trying to create
additional space in green areas here and there would fail to align with this principle and almost certainly
be futile. Instead demand must be left to match itself to the capacity available.
Ultimately, car owners in Orchid Road can seek second-choice spots elsewhere on the network when
none are found vacant directly outside their homes, but a fire or ambulance crew can only be confident
of gaining access to the end of Orchid Road when parking controls are placed to ensure reasonable
space for access.
