I am increasingly concerned that Greenwich Council has delayed the publication of plans for extensions to the Eltham Park Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) as the future for the scheme slips into chaos and uncertainty.
Over the course of the last two years, Eltham Park’s residents have been subject to a number of consultations about the creation of a CPZ to the east of Westmount Road. There were residents with strong feelings on both sides of the argument, but in June, Eltham North’s Councillors were invited to a briefing to describe the Council’s final proposals. At that meeting Councillors were informed that residents would receive letters outlining the CPZ proposals before the end of the month. Since then all has gone quiet.
I have written to Officers, but received no clear response. I now understand that the plans are being revised once again after disagreements between Labour Councillors about the plans.
Of course the real problem is that Conservative Councillors secured a guarantee that any new CPZ proposals would only proceed if the majority of residents on any given road agreed with them. The Council seems set to break this rule in the future, with some roads that want the CPZ left out and some that don’t included.
In honesty. knowing that the Council aims to raise millions of pounds from parking charges means I am always suspicious of their motives when expanded CPZs are proposed.
This post was initially published on Spencer Drury’s Your Councillor site in August 2015