Norwood Forum has raised key questions with Lambeth Council about the West Norwood Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) consultation, following community concerns. Councillor Rezina Chowdhury, Deputy Leader for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, responded - and we’ve put her replies into a Q&A format for you to read below.
Norwood Forum:
Norwood Forum is always looking to support projects that are designed to improve the quality of life for those that work, study and live in our neighbourhood. We believe strongly in our founding principle and primary function as being a link between the community and the council, whilst celebrating and promoting our local area. To this end, we would like to further clarify the purpose and limits of West Norwood CPZ consultation. We have posted details of the consultation on our website and included notification in our recent newsletter and we would like to discuss ways we can help make this an effective and trustworthy consultation process. There have been a number of concerns raised by the community in this regard to which we hope you can provide answers.
Councillor Chowdhury:
Thank you for reaching out with your concerns regarding the West Norwood consultation. I understand that parking and street changes can have a significant impact on daily life, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify the Council’s approach.
Norwood Forum:
Can you provide detail on how the responses received to the informal consultation will be considered by Lambeth Council? Some residents consider the exercise to be a referendum. There is concern that caveats in the opinion boxes will not be reflected in people’s responses and might be interpreted as support or disagreement which is contrary to an intention. Many want to express both their disagreement with a CPZ, as well as their mitigations if the council still decides to proceed e.g. a two hour period of operation. We have already raised this issue with officers, but can you please give assurances that a suggestion of different hours of operation will not be automatically interpreted as support for a CPZ - or vice versa.
Councillor Chowdhury:
Responses to this consultation are being considered in line with previous schemes, such as Streatham Vale, ensuring consistency in how feedback is evaluated. The Parking Design Team previously shared a link to the Decision Report for that scheme in their email dated 22 April 2025.
When making decisions about introducing parking controls, we take a broad perspective - considering not only the voices of residents and property owners but also the wider needs of the community. Factors such as traffic flow, public transport accessibility, and the overall impact on local amenities all play a crucial role in shaping our approach.
Importantly, responses on preferred hours and days of operation are considered independently from a respondent’s stance on the CPZ proposal itself.
Norwood Forum:
The Council’s policy is to establish CPZs across the whole borough as detailed in the Kerbside Strategy. This fact is not stated in the materials published for this consultation. This is included in the Kerbside Strategy, but links to this document are hard to find. There has been considerable slippage and change to the priority and geographical area of the intended CPZs as notified in 2022, see our news story here. Some residents fear the displacement of car parking to their streets just outside the current proposed CPZ because there is no understanding that further areas are planned.
Councillor Chowdhury:
The Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) and Parking Schemes Programme 2022–2026 was published in January 2023, with Appendix B outlining our intended timeline for rolling out additional CPZs across the borough. While we recognize that there have been delays - particularly with complex consultations like West Dulwich - we want to assure residents that these delays reflect our commitment to thorough consideration of community feedback. We acknowledge that this has affected the progress of other schemes, but we remain focused on balancing timely implementation with meaningful engagement.
Norwood Forum:
We want Council proposals to start from an acknowledgment that our local area has a very different make-up from the centre and north of the Borough – e.g. more elderly people, more young families, a hilly terrain, lower public transport provision, higher vehicle ownership, etc.
There is confusion over the intended hours of operation of the CPZ. The survey questions on hours of operation are the ones detailed in Lambeth’s parking policy. This is not explained or widely understood. It is mandatory to choose one of these two options to complete the survey. Confusion and frustration is then exacerbated by not being able to choose the option promoted by the Knight’s Hill ward councillors (10am - 12pm), alternative hours for specific reasons or none for those who do not wish to see the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone.
Councillor Chowdhury:
In adapting to changing patterns of work post-pandemic, we proposed longer operational hours for CPZs to better reflect the needs of residents and discourage commuter parking in local neighbourhoods. To ensure all perspectives are heard, the consultation includes a free-text section, allowing individuals to suggest alternative operating times beyond the pre-set options. In previous consultations, this feedback has shaped final decisions, such as adopting a reduced 2-hour-per-day CPZ model instead of the originally proposed timeframes in Streatham Vale and West Dulwich. Importantly, responses on preferred hours and days of operation are considered independently from a respondent’s stance on the CPZ proposal itself.
Norwood Forum:
This consultation exercise includes asking for views on specific parking bays and kerbside uses, such as greenery, seating, electric vehicle charging bays and cycle storage. Yet residents have now also received through their letterboxes a consultation on the Phase 14 installation of cycle hangers on some of the roads included in this CPZ consultation. We have already asked you to instruct that the cycle hanger consultation in respect of Knight’s Hill ward be withdrawn pending consideration of all the responses to this CPZ. These parallel consultations again cause distrust of the council’s processes.
Councillor Chowdhury:
The Council recognizes the importance of secure cycle storage and has been working for several years to expand access across Lambeth. This programme is separate from CPZ schemes and aligns with our broader commitment to promoting sustainable transport options.
We understand that views on new cycle hangars vary, and that is why consultation questions aim to identify locations where they are most likely to be positively received. Additionally, feedback on cycle hangars, as well as Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Points, helps officers assess demand and adjust proposed parking layouts as needed. Comments related to other Healthy Streets features - such as e-bike bays, parklets, and resting places- are shared with the relevant Council teams for further review.
It’s important to clarify that Traffic Orders are no longer required for the installation of cycle hangars. The Phase 14 consultation is informal, allowing for ongoing review of proposed locations within West Norwood. If concerns arise, adjustments or removals can be considered where appropriate.
Norwood Forum:
Costs of parking within a CPZ. There is no reference or weblink in the resident’s pack about parking charges. Phrases such as ‘parking controls’ do not help. Searching on the Lambeth website for this information is not easy either as it is titled ‘Emission based parking charges’ and is not clear these are charges relating to CPZs.
Councillor Chowdhury:
For several years, Lambeth has applied an emissions-based charge structure to permits, visitor vouchers, and paid parking. This structure was updated in May 2023 to align with the Council’s Kerbside Strategy and now reflects CO₂ emissions categories used for Vehicle Excise Duty.
To prevent information overload, we chose not to include detailed pricing in consultation packs. Instead, residents were provided a link to the Council’s website for the most up-to-date information. Additionally, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) booklet was made available online to offer further clarification on parking policies and the broader Kerbside Strategy.
Norwood Forum:
We draw your attention to our own webpage: Controlled Parking Zone for West Norwood where we have collated all the important background and associated information in one place. It would be incredibly helpful if Lambeth would follow suit. It is even difficult to find the survey on the Have Your Say platform.
Councillor Chowdhury:
The Council favours online data collection for public engagement, utilizing the Go Vocal platform for consultation responses. Dedicated project pages on the Council website also provide links to pricing details and background information. For the West Norwood Healthy Streets and Parking Controls (HSPC) proposals, multiple references to the consultation webpage were included in printed materials to improve accessibility. www.lambeth.gov.uk/wn-hspc
Norwood Forum:
We urge Lambeth Council to make further efforts to help residents feel listened to and their concerns recognised. The, far from comprehensive, list above serves to highlight how the Council should be consulting local communities much earlier in the process using all possible methods. We believe public engagement meetings would be beneficial and have experience holding such events.
Giving councillors and officers the opportunity to explain issues, answer queries and engage with doubters is critical in explaining the rationale for the introduction of the Kerbside strategy, which includes CPZs. Issues such as the active travel infrastructure available locally, exemptions for blue badge holders, carers etc can be explained and necessary local tweaks explored. The travel to work plans for local schools and businesses (and enforcement) can be explained and officer support directed to where there are gaps (e.g. our local bus garage?). Local public transport provision can also be covered – you will recall all the issues we have raised following our own extensive public consultation during our meeting with you in November last year.
Councillor Chowdhury:
We recognize that public engagement is an essential part of shaping these policies. However, following the drop-in session at the West Norwood Library in 2023- where vocal opposition made it difficult for all perspectives to be expressed - Senior Officers decided that in-person meetings for consultations would no longer be appropriate.
To ensure fairness and accuracy, recent consultations have relied solely on written responses, which provide a clear record of public feedback. While we understand that some residents may prefer face-to-face discussions, written submissions allow every voice to be heard and properly recorded.
We appreciate the time taken to engage in this process and hope this response has provided clarity on the Council’s position. If there are any further concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.