Controlled Parking Zones are set to be imposed across vast swathes of the borough, with Opposition Conservative councillors warning Labour-run Greenwich Council's consultation "looks like a done deal". This week Greenwich Council published details of so-called 'Sustainable Street' schemes in Charlton, Kidbrooke and Blackheath, Plumstead, Shooters Hill, West Thamesmead and Woolwich as part of a quick-turnaround 6 week consultation. The plans include the imposition of Controlled Parking Zones across all seven areas, with residents having to pay up to £300 a year to park on street at home, depending on the emissions of their vehicle.
Many residents feel Greenwich Council's consultation is a paper exercise, with the outcome pre-determined. Conservative councillors have long warned that trust and public confidence in RBG's willingness to genuinely listen to residents has been deeply damaged by the Labour administration ignoring 98% oppostion to parking restrictions on Rochester Way/Welling Way, and imposing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods on Greenwich and Blackheath despite opposition from 8 in 10 people responding to the consutlation to the various options put forward.
The Conservative Group of councillors have also submitted a series of questions (see below) to Labour Cabinet Member Averil Lekau on the plans for July's Council meeting, and have called for an extension of the "extremely short" 6-week consutlation period.
Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of Greenwich Conservatives, said: "This looks like a done deal. There is next to no public confidence left in Greenwich Council's consultations - particularly on Controlled Parking Zones - and deservedly so. The Labour councillors who run our borough have consistently shown they will impose their parking and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, regardless of what local people think.
"This consultation process on so-called 'Sustainable Streets' asking residents to comment on what are highly detailed and complex proposals in just a 6-week turnaround - held over the summer at a time when lots of people are away - will only reinforce residents' suspicions that the Council has already decided what it wants to do. If they care about public confidence in the process, Greenwich Council should extend the consutlation period and give residents more time to engage with the details of what is being proposed in their streets.
"Despite the way this is being handled, it is still important that residents take part in the consutlation to make their views known - and in addition, email the ward councillors who represent these areas so they are left in no doubt about local views on this."
Conservative councillors are urging residents to take part in the consutlation - which can be accessed at https://sustainable-streets-rbg.commonplace.is/ - and also email the local, mostly Labour, ward councillors representing these areas. Ward councillor details can be found here.
Questions submitted by Conservative councillor Matt Hartley for 23 July 2025 Greenwich Council meeting
1) Question to Councillor Averil Lekau, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport
Many residents feel the Council’s consultation on introducing Controlled Parking Zones as part of it’s ‘Sustainable Street’ schemes (in Charlton, Kidbrooke and Blackheath, Plumstead, Shooters Hill, West Thamesmead and Woolwich) is effectively pre-determined, with RBG already having decided to introduce these regardless of the results of the consultation. This suspicion has been reinforced by the extremely short 6-week consultation period for what are highly detailed and complex proposals for residents to comment on.
Will the Cabinet Member extend the consultation period beyond 22nd August – preferably well into September at the very least – to give residents more time to engage with the detail of what the administration is proposing?
2) Question to Councillor Averil Lekau, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport
Under her the current timetable, when will a decision be taken on each proposed ‘Sustainable Street’ scheme (in Charlton, Kidbrooke and Blackheath, Plumstead, Shooters Hill, West Thamesmead and Woolwich) following the closure of the consultation? For any given area’s scheme, what, if any, level of opposition in the consultation from residents would be enough for the Cabinet Member to take a decision not to proceed?
3) Question to Councillor Averil Lekau, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport
Letters received by residents from the Cabinet Member introducing the council’s ‘Sustainable Streets’ proposals closed with the following sentence - “Residential parking permits for vehicles in the borough currently start from £20 a year and depend on a vehicle’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.”
Can the Cabinet Member provide the following information – a) how many and b) what proportion of residential parking permits issued under the council’s Emissions-based parking scheme have been in each of the following emissions categories?
- 0 gCO2/km – price £20
- 1 to 50 gCO2/km – price £50
- 51 to 75 gCO2/km – price £70
- 76 to 90 gCO2/km – price £80
- 91 to 100 gCO2/km – price £90
- 101 to 110 gCO2/km – price £100
- 111 to 130 gCO2/km – price £125
- 131 to 150 gCO2/km – price £150
- 151 to 170 gCO2/km – price £175
- 171 to 190 gCO2/km – price £200
- 191 to 225 gCO2/km – price £225
- 226 to 255 gCO2/km – price £250
- Over 255 gCO2/km – price £300
