High Court ruling forces council to delay controversial parking charges

Westminster City Council has been forced to delay implementation of controversial new parking charges until after the Olympics next year.

The move comes after a High Court judge blocked the local authority from introducing the changes until a judicial review hearing in March.

Westminster had planned to introduce a new parking policy, which included the introduction of evening and Sunday parking charges in the West End, on 9 January 2012. These charges have met with vociferous opposition.

Mr Justice Collins has now given the claimant – Mayfair estate agent Peter Wetherell – permission to bring judicial review proceedings on two of the 12 grounds he advanced.

These grounds related to the risk of damage to businesses and churches, and an arguably flawed consultation.

Responding to the ruling, Cllr Colin Barrow, Westminster’s Leader, said: “We are a council that abides by the law so we recognise the significance of this judgement. The judge rejected 10 of the 12 grounds for judicial review submitted by the applicants, but it does also require us to postpone implementation of the scheme, pending the full hearing.

“We are confident that we will be successful at such a hearing on the strengths of our arguments, the comprehensive consultation and the need to make central London less congested.”

But Cllr Barrow said the local authority did not want the public debate over the policy to become a distraction to preparations for the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics.

“Westminster has an important part to play in both these national celebrations and will be devoting substantial effort to making them both a success,” he said.

“As a result of this we have decided to postpone implementation of the new hours of control until after the Olympics even if we are successful at the Judicial Review hearing.”

Westminster’s Leader added that the council would use the intervening period to discuss its policy and listen to the concerns of residents, visitors and business “who like us want to see congestion reduced while sustaining the economy”.

The Labour Group at Westminster welcomed Mr Justice Collins’ decision and called for the parking charges to be scrapped “without further delay”.

Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said: “The High Court has ordered Westminster to halt its plans, and for very good reason. Over 95% of people are opposed to this damaging parking proposal and the council should now have the common sense to stop before it does any further damage to businesses, residents and churches.”

Cllr Dimoldenberg added that Mr Justice Collins’ ruling should force Westminster “to undertake a fundamental re-appraisal of its plans that have provoked an unprecedented coalition of opposition”.