Parking Consultation Now Open 

The County Council consultation on parking restrictions for Love's Farm is now open.

Following feedback on draft proposals discussed last year, the proposed scheme now consists of:

• A controlled parking zone around the station (west of Love's Way and Fox Brook) which includes a mix of
  • Parking bays limited to a maximum of 2 hours parking 
  • Areas of no parking during the period 10am-11am (this is to deter commuter parking)
  • Marked, unrestricted parking bays
  • Double yellow lines
• Double yellow lines on other junctions and spine roads to prevent dangerous parking and ensure free flowing traffic

The plans can be seen in detail by following these links:

• Central/East (Great High Ground, Bawlins, Middle Ground, Day Close, Clark Drive etc)
• North (Hogsden Leys, Bargroves Ave, Field Gate Close, Lannesbury Crescent etc)
• South West (Dramsell Rise, Station Square, Great High Ground etc)
• Central/West (Kester Way, Great High Ground etc)
• South East (Stone Hill, Fox Brook, Belland Hill etc)

This first phase consists of significantly less parking restrictions across the whole of Love's Farm than had been originally proposed, with the intention of reducing the inconvenience to residents. We expect there to be money left in the budget to add further restrictions to other residential streets if the first phase doesn't prove to be sufficient to solve problems, or causes knock-on effects.

Please do take the time to fill in the (short!) survey and give your views - whether you agree with the scheme or not. If you have specific comments or requests for amendments, it's not too late for those either. The closing date is Monday 2nd July.

A drop-in exhibition will be held on Wednesday 13th June 2018, 2-9pm, at Love’s Farm House, where  there will be the opportunity to review the scheme and speak to officers, our County Councillor and members of Love's Farm Community Association.

All households will receive a letter from the County Council explaining the background to the proposals and giving a link to the survey; if you haven't received this already, it should arrive in the next few days.

Go to the survey >>

Frequently Asked Questions

I agree with the plans. Should I bother completing the survey?
Yes. The County Council need to understand the range of views and opinions in the community. There will inevitably be some opposition to the plans, and if the Council perceives that the overall response is negative then it will be difficult for them to progress.

I agree we need restrictions, but I don't think this is the right solution. Should I support the plans?
Fill in the survey and state which aspects you agree or disagree with. For example, you might recognise that we need double yellow lines for safety reasons, but you don't support single yellow lines in other areas to deter commuter parking. Be as constructive as you can.

Are these the final plans?
Not necessarily. The consultation process will help to shape the plans, but any amendments will still need to fit the overall objective of improving safety on our roads.

If these plans are rejected, can we go back to the drawing board?
The consultation at this stage is part of the process of shaping the plans to bring about the best possible outcome for our community. The County Council will look at the responses to the survey and and see if the plans need to be amended in response to the issues raised or in order to better solve the problems.

However, it's worth noting that we were really fortunate to get funding for a scheme, and CCC have worked hard to give us something which operates within the numerous constraints.

If we can't find a way to progress these proposals we'd be unlikely to be successful in securing any more funds for the foreseeable future. We need to be as constructive as we can in responding to the proposals through the consultation process to ensure we don't lose the whole opportunity to improve our roads.

Single yellow lines were originally planned for all side streets. Why has this changed?
It's recognised that single yellow lines (preventing anyone parking for a 1 hour slot in the middle of the morning) has the potential to inconvenience residents - particularly those with more cars than off-street spaces, or those with regular visitors.

CCC suggested that they could take a two-phased approach, with only those streets closest to the station being given single-yellows in the first phase. This gives an opportunity for other streets to 'wait and see' what happens before going ahead with a possible second phase. If (as many fear) the first phase just pushes the problems into other streets, then we can go ahead as originally planned (and funding is being kept in reserve for this). If, on the other hand, there is no (or limited) displacement, then residents benefit from retaining streets free of restrictions.

The double yellow lines seem like overkill. Can't they be replaced with single yellow lines instead?
There are a mix of different restrictions planned, but where double yellow lines are marked this is because it has been deemed unsafe for vehicles to park there at any time, for example because it would block traffic, or prevent visibility at a bend or junction. Replacing with single yellows (which would allow anyone to park there, most of the time) would defeat the safety objectives.

It's worth saying that many of the planned double yellow lines simply reflect what is already happening in practice. There are long sections of our roads where you simply can't park because they are too narrow, on sharp bends, across entrances, or there is traffic calming. So although the double yellow lines look draconian on the maps it's not (in many places at least) a big change to the available parking.

There are mistakes in the plans - can these still be fixed?
Yes, definitely. Please mention any errors or problem areas in your response to the survey, and (if possible) raise them with the CCC officers at the public consultation event.

How will people park to visit the shops and Love's Farm House?
The area around Station Square and Kester Way is proposed to have a number of parking bays which anyone can use at any time, restricted to a maximum of 2 hours waiting. As this will prevent commuters from parking, there should be a good deal more short term parking available in the area of the shops and community centre than there is currently.

Why can't we just have residents' parking permits?
LFCA has pushed CCC on this on numerous occasions but we have repeatedly been told it isn't possible in our area. Residents' parking schemes are generally only considered in areas where there is NO off-street parking. In any case, such a scheme wouldn't eradicate the need for double yellow lines which are proposed for safety reasons.

Why aren't disabled bays included in the plans?
Disabled bays are assessed on an individual basis according to strict criteria. There are details here: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/parking-permits-and-fines/apply-for-a-disabled-parking-bay/ CCC officers should be able to answer your questions at the public consultation event.