Community meeting tomorrow to address Cosham parking plans
Cosham residents are being invited to voice their concerns at an event tomorrow regarding a proposed new residents’ parking zone for the ward.
A community meeting, hosted by locals Jake Dealey and Martine Parry, will be held on 5 December at the Community Kettle CIC (62 High Street, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 3AJ), from 6pm to 7pm.
Under the draft order, currently unrestricted kerbside spaces on Glenleigh Avenue, Cosham Park Avenue, Dorking Crescent, Knowsley Road, Knowsley Crescent, Magdala Road, Park Grove and Salisbury Road would be converted into permit bays or one-hour limited-waiting areas.
The existing BA zone in Park Grove would be absorbed into BG, with time limits tightened from two hours (no return within four) to one hour (no return within two).
A section of Dorking Crescent, near Widley Court Drive, would offer BG permits or four-hour limited waiting. Additional permit-only and one-hour waiting areas, without marked bays, are planned for parts of Dorking Crescent and the whole of Widley Court Drive.
Residents would be able to obtain up to two BG permits per address, with a third issued only if capacity allows. Fees remain £30 for a first permit, £120 for a second and £300 for a third. Visitor permits cost £1.15 (12 hours) or £2.20 (24 hours), and business permits range from £150 to £630.
Martine Parry said that the residents who live on her road are “almost unanimously” against the plans, stating that the meeting will “bring us all together” ahead of the decision day on 18 December.
Jake Dealey said the main areas of concern among residents are that a RPZ does not guarantee a parking space, makes it difficult to have visitors, and can devalue properties.
The council’s statement of reasons for the RPZ says the proposals aim to “preserve or improve the amenities of the area through which the roads run” and “manage parking congestion, encourage people to consider alternative ways of travelling around the area to the private car, and to improve parking opportunities for residents and their visitors”.