Windsor parking way ahead - realistic options for community consultation

A way forward for Windsor parking that is a 'realistic menu of options' has been put forward by the Royal Borough, fulfilling a promise to local residents to identify noticeable, affordable solutions for the town's parking problems.

The draft Windsor parking strategy highlights the council's determination to put residents' needs first, with achievable ways of providing 500 extra parking spaces in the next three years and a further 500 – 1,000 in the next decade.  A number of the proposals aim to offer parking options on the outskirts for visitors to free up even more spaces for residents living in and/or using the town centre.

Short and medium term options to be considered include:

• 100 extra spaces at Home Park park and ride, as well as extending the evening operating hours of the bus service
• 200 – 400 park and ride spaces at Windsor racecourse, with a shuttle bus service into the town centre
• a new 150-space weekend park and ride at Centrica, Maidenhead Road
• a 200-space weekend park and ride at King Edward VII Hospital – with the car park also promoted for evening use serving the town centre
• a new footbridge linking the Dials multi-storey car park (used by the public at weekends) with Windsor and Eton Central station
• new travel information signage giving drivers up-to-the-minute information about parking availability
• co-ordinated, high profile marketing to promote parking availability and choice for residents, businesses and visitors
• working with local businesses to allow residents and visitors to use their car parks in the evenings and at weekends when they are not needed for staff.

A longer-term concept is to build parking decks over the existing surface car park at Alexandra Gardens, potentially creating up to 400 additional parking spaces.  This would be subject to securing planning approval and external funding.

Cllr David Burbage, council leader, said that finding solutions to Windsor's parking problems was one of the council's top priorities.

He said:  "We listened to local residents last year when they said they did not want a park and ride at Eton Wick because of its environmental impacts and the fact that it was just not financially viable.  At that time we promised a realistic parking strategy that would achieve noticeable, affordable solutions for the town's parking problems.  This draft is the result of considerable research and it enables us to bring forward workable proposals that potentially could deliver significant benefits for Windsor. 

"The strategy will go out for structured consultation across the community and the views of local people will give us a clear steer on the way ahead."

Cllr Colin Rayner, lead member for highways, transport and environment, said: "We have already created more than 170 extra spaces for residents' parking by removing unnecessary restrictions in local streets – and there are more on the way.  We are planning between 60 and 70 additional spaces in the next few months.

"We now have a well-thought-out, detailed strategy for wider parking provision in the town that will be the basis for consulting with our community.  This is a long-overdue, co-ordinated approach to tackling a very difficult issue and I look forward to getting people's views so we can take forward proposals that are backed by the people who matter most – our residents.

"We would like to thank the many residents and businesses who have contacted us with their views and ideas, some of which have been incorporated in the draft strategy.  Parking is one of the most important issues for residents in Windsor and we must strive to find solutions that work for them."

The Royal Borough had provisionally secured a £7million SEERA grant for the subsequently rejected Eton Wick park and ride scheme.  A 'refreshed' bid for funding to support parking and transport initiatives in Windsor has now been submitted, based on the draft parking strategy, and a response is expected in the autumn.

The draft strategy will go out for public consultation during the summer and in the meantime will be discussed by the council's planning and environment overview and scrutiny panel on Monday June 30 and then by cabinet on Thursday July 24.