Parking

March 2023: Start of Traffic Regulation Order Consultation

In late 2022  HHNA was informed  that the project had been paused by Southampton City Council (SCC) while consultation was undertaken in Bassett Row, which is another road leading off Bassett Avenue as SCC wished to submit just one set of Traffic Regulation Orders. This followed an earlier delay while the views of Ridgemount Avenue and associated streets were obtained.

Early in March 2023 HHNA was told that the Bassett Row survey results have shown significant support for a permit scheme.  SCC say that this means they are now able to progress with designing an extension of the existing Zone 9 permit area to cover Holly Hill, Ridgemount and Bassett Row.  The results of each of the roads surveys and next steps are outlined on the webpages below…

https://transport.southampton.gov.uk/hollyhill

https://transport.southampton.gov.uk/ridgemount

https://transport.southampton.gov.uk/bassettrow

These three areas are next on the list to progress to the formal Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation which they say they will prioritise for end of May / June.  They have penciled in late summer for implementation of the permit scheme before the University term time commences in September.   

HHNA will be informed when SCC have a confirmed start date for the TRO consultation. In the meantime please consult the relevant webpage link above for details of the proposal. This linked webpage should also answer any questions that residents may have about the scheme. 

July 2021: Survey Results

HHNA were informed of the Council's survey results in July. The full text of the report is below but the key recommendations are:

1. Given the evidence above of longer duration parking by students from the Halls of Residence and the access issues related to the horizontal and vertical alignment near the commencement of the unrestricted section of Holly Hill, the non-resident parking is viewed as being significant.

2. With more than 60% of respondents from those households most directly affected, in favour of permit parking this is accepted, in principle, as supporting the Council proposing a permit parking scheme in 2022/23.

3. Prior to the design and formal consultation on any prospective permit parking scheme, that its design is qualified by the planned update to the Residents Parking Policy in 2021. Residents of Providence Park in particular, will then be able to have an informed view of their permit eligibility and entitlement. Also, that any prospective design retains the existing no waiting at any time restrictions from the junction of Holly Hill with Bassett Avenue.

4. Any further consideration of footway parking should await the outcome of the current Department for Transport review and the Councils Resident Parking Policy update.

The full text of the council response can be seen at the link below.

Residents Parking Scheme Results Report 

June 2021: The Survey

Southampton City Council (SCC) undertook a survey of the Holly Hill Area, including Providence Park, during June 2021. The results of the survey were published on 23rd July 2021. 

The key recommendation is "with more than 60% of respondents from those households most directly affected in favour of permit parking, this is accepted, in principle as supporting the Council proposing a permit parking scheme in 2022/23"

The text of this survey can be found in the report on the results, please see the link in the July 2021 section of this web page. 

The hours of operation for the scheme would be 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday to align with those of existing neighbouring schemes.

Permit Eligibility

Households are generally defined for purposes of eligibility as those properties within a zone boundary with discrete Council tax. Properties built or sub-divided based on planning approval post 31st March 2001 would not be eligible for permits.

As a development with Post March 2001 planning permission properties within Providence Park would not likely be included in the formal scope of permit eligibility. However, given that a small number of residents of Providence Park have used Holly Hill for overflow parking over an extended period, it would be expected that should a request be made, exceptional provision for permit entitlement would likely be agreed in accordance with the Councils Residents Parking Policy (please note that this is planned to be changed in 2021).

Also please note that:

• Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes or 5m in length are not eligible for permits

• Vehicles displaying a blue badge, would not require a permit.

Permit Entitlement and Costs

Residents within the permit scheme boundary would be entitled to:

• Up to 2 residents permits for assigned vehicles at a cost of £30 per year per permit

• An annual visitors permit at a cost of £30 per year

• Up to 60 Day visitor permits, at a cost of £10 per booklet

• An Essential Visitors permit (free of charge) for residents dependent on carers

As permit charges help to fund the costs of introducing, administering, maintain and enforcing the schemes they are not optional.

Timescales

There is a high demand for permit parking schemes and the Council is committed to a major programme of work around the University Hospital Southampton through 2021/22. Before being implemented all residents parking schemes are subject to an extended legal process with formal public consultation. As such any prospective scheme would not likely be implemented until 2022/23.

Pavement Parking

Many residents have expressed concern about parking that partially or fully obstructs the pavement. The Department for Transport has been consulting over prospective measures to help address issues related to vehicles parking over the payment, particularly where they obstruct the passage of pedestrians, prams or wheelchair users. Further information on this is available from the following web link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking/pavement-parking-options-for-change

2019 Annual General Meeting - the beginning

At the Annual General Meeting in 2019 residents of Holly Hill Neighbourhood Association voted unanimously to investigate a parking scheme for our neighbourhood. This was further to an informal survey that we conducted in the same year to explore a solution to some of the issues people living on the hill experience due to non-residents parking. 

In 2021 at the request of Southampton City Council a second survey was initiated to ascertain whether the consensus remained or if things had changed. This was due to the informal nature of our initial survey and also due to the time elapsed.