OFFICIAL
Mr Simon Read Chair, Pickmere Parish Council
clerk@pickmereparishcouncil.gov.uk
Deputy Leader’s Office
Westfields
Middlewich Road
Sandbach
Crewe
CW11 1HZ
Date: 23 March 2022 Our Reference: 15024425
Dear Mr Read
RE: Parking issues – Pickmere village
Thank you for your letter dated 23rd February 2022 regarding the above matter.
Cheshire East Council is aware of the parking issues at Pickmere which you have described within your letter. I have provided a response to the three particular issues you have raised below:
1. You have asked for a commitment from the community wardens to attend and enforce existing parking restrictions at peak times. Resource permitting, the council’s Civil Enforcement Officers do visit the area in order to enforce the parking regulations that currently exist and Pickmere is certainly on their radar for the seasonal periods. I would also encourage the parish council to email the Parking Enforcement team directly to inform them of the most problematic periods however, in order to manage your expectations the team would be unable to provide a reactive service. You can contact the Parking Enforcement team via email at parkingenforcement@cheshireeast.gov.uk
2. You have asked for faded yellow lines to be repainted as you believe they are unenforceable and you have been trying to get this done for two years. The council’s Parking Enforcement team undertake enforcement action where there are existing restrictions in place such as double yellow lines. If they feel lines need to be refreshed they will send a request to the highway maintenance department. At the time of writing, no such request has been received however, should the Parking Enforcement team prioritise lining in Pickmere for renewal in future the lines will be refreshed at the earliest opportunity.
OFFICIAL
3. You would like a discussion about the possibility of extending parking restrictions in the village to benefit residents. You have explained you were advised by council officers to carry out a survey of the parking problem which you have done and a significant majority of residents are in favour of further parking restrictions in the village. In the first instance parish councils are asked to report any general requests or enquiries through our online reporting tool via the link below: https://fixmystreet.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ In the event that you are dissatisfied with the outcome of an enquiry you have reported, parish councils should raise this with their local highways officer in the first instance. Your current contact is Josh Holden (Josh.Holden@cheshireeasthighways.org).
We do not have any records of you making a request for extending parking restrictions in the last five years however, if you can provide evidence of a previous report such as a reference number this can be investigated further. Based on your correspondence it does appear that you have made some contact with council officers regarding the extension of parking restrictions in Pickmere and you were advised to undertake a parking survey with local residents. Cheshire East Council regularly receives requests for waiting restrictions to be introduced or amended. These requests can be difficult to deliver due to resource or funding pressures. To manage this difficulty an approach has been developed to deliver an annual programme of waiting restrictions each financial year.
We prioritise all requests primarily on road safety and congestion improvement, in line with the aims of the Local Transport Plan (LTP), to ensure new restrictions are introduced at those locations where the most benefit will be achieved.
I can confirm that various locations within Pickmere are on the council’s list to be assessed alongside other similar requests we receive for waiting restrictions across the borough. This will enable a final list of schemes to be produced and will form the basis of our proposals for delivery during the 2022/23 financial year.
Surveys will be carried out by the council as part of any assessments. Your efforts to carry out the survey are appreciated and the survey will be reviewed as part of ongoing work to prioritise our programme for the coming year.
I trust this information is of assistance.
OFFICIAL
Yours sincerely
Cllr Craig Browne Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council
