Waltham Forest says it will promote ‘active travel’ and reduce pollution, but the scheme has proven controversial with car dependent Chingford residents, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
Free parking in Waltham Forest has been scrapped, despite pushback from residents.
Waltham Forest Council decided yesterday (4th January) to remove the 15-minute free period and free hour between 1pm and 2pm.
From 1st April, residents will need to pay to park in any council-owned bays between 8am until 6.30pm, seven days a week.
Though the council says it will promote ‘active travel’ and reduce pollution in line with London-wide policies, the scheme has proven controversial in Chingford.
A council-run consultation last year showed that around 90% of people opposed the changes, though many respondents were from suburban Chingford.
Last month, Chingford residents attacked councillors for the plans, saying they relied too heavily on their cars.
Though the south of the borough is well served by the London Underground and bus routes, public transport is sparser in the north, Tory councillors said at a scrutiny meeting on 23rd January.
Siobhan Wing, who runs Bonbons Boutiques in Station Road, said her shop was being put at risk.
The mother-of-six told the committee the changes would “drive away” customers to places like Buckhurst Hill and Woodford, and there “would be no Station Road left”.
The changes will only affect council-owned pay-to-park (P2P) bays and the bays themselves will not be closed, residents were told.
The new rules were approved by the council’s neighbourhoods and environment director Debbie Porter and deputy leader Councillor Clyde Loakes at a closed door executive meeting yesterday.
According to a new report, the town hall considered keeping the free 15 minutes but ultimately decided against it. Officials said it “actively encouraged vehicle usage and shorter journeys,” which contributed to pollution levels.
Officers also proposed extending the paid hours until 8pm but decided this could “displace vehicles” into nearby controlled parking zones, which are allocated for residents.
At the scrutiny meeting in January, the committee recommended that the council encouraged take-ups of Blue Badge passes and similar schemes, in an effort to minimise disruption for older residents.
The Tories’ recommendations to keep the 15-minute free parking scheme and the free hour between 1pm and 2pm, and to first trial the scheme in the south of the borough were both shot down by the committee.
The new policy will be introduced as an ‘experimental traffic order,’ which will stay in effect for 18 months before becoming permanent.
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
