Council to debate plea for residents-only parking in Chesterfield

The petition, signed by 44 people, requests that the street is added into Zone C of the town’s current scheme.

It aims to prevent the “indiscriminate and illegal parking by commuters and college students” which occurs on the street, despite regular enforcement by the police.

The request is to be debated this week at a meeting of the cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure.

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Derbyshire County Council officers would however like to check that at least two thirds of the residents in Shirland Street, close to Chesterfield College, approve of the idea.

The statement put forward in the petition is as follows: “We, the residents of Shirland Street Chesterfield S41 7NH are in favour of a paid residents’ parking scheme in Zone C.

“We are aware that this does not guarantee a parking space directly outside our property.

“We understand the cost of an annual permit and are aware that permit prices can increase. “

“Two thirds of residents must be in favour of a paid residents’ parking scheme for it to go ahead.

“There are 60 houses on Shirland Street which means 40 houses must be in favour.

“On the next few pages there is a petition in which outlines those residents in favour and those residents not in favour.”

A total of 40 people who signed the petition are in favour of the scheme, while four were not.

Carrying out the consultation and relevant assessments will cost the county council £5,000.

Shirland Street connects Infirmary Road and Sheffield Road, which are both part of the current residents-only parking scheme, along with more than a dozen surrounding streets.

When the scheme was introduced into Chesterfield town centre in 2006, council officers consulted with residents in Shirland Street about including them in the larger residents-only parking scheme.

However, residents did not want to be included within the proposed scheme as they felt protected by the existing prohibition of driving except for access, and therefore, they were not included.

In a report prepared ahead of the meeting, council officers wrote: “A number of years have passed and the ROP scheme is working well.

“However, officers have received numerous concerns expressed by the residents of Shirland Street over indiscriminate and illegal parking by commuters and college students despite regular enforcement by the police.

“It is therefore proposed that, in response to the number of residents in support in the petition, further detailed consultation be carried out by the council’s traffic and safety team to confirm that a majority of residents are in favour of a residents-only parking on Shirland Street –  then the cabinet member approves the request for Shirland Street to be included in the Chesterfield residents-only parking Zone C.”

The issue will be decided on Thursday, May 17.

Eddie Bisknell , Local Democracy Reporting Service