The Back Office Award: WSP Liveable Places Parking Team

British Parking Awards 2023

Drafting Traffic Regulation Orders and conducting public consultations are tasks that ensure the success of parking schemes.

WSP has around 7,000 staff across the UK working in a wide range of transportation, engineering and related services. Its Liveable Places Parking Team sits within the Liveable Places Service Line, which brings together a wide range of specialisms including traffic engineering, public realm transport planning, road safety and active travel to offer clients a one-stop shop service helping to drive forward transport’s contribution to the sense of place in an area.

The Parking Team, in their ‘behind the scenes’ roles, add what can be intangible extra value to schemes, whether it be legal advice around traffic orders, support around new technology or enforcement of a design.

Ollie Miller, technical director, Liveable Places, says: “Relatively low profile and somewhat unsung due to the technical and specific nature of what they do, our Parking Team plays a critically important role in the back office for clients across the country. What makes the Parking Team special is that although they work within one of the largest consultancy companies in the world, they act with a very local focus and deliver extremely good customer service for local authority clients across the UK.

“Projects typically range from supporting counties in England’s South West with transforming the way they manage their kerbside through to designing controlled parking zones for authorities in the home counties, to developing parking and kerbside policy for authorities in London. Across all locations and across the wide range of services delivered, the Liveable Places Parking Team always deliver locally specific and targeted solutions from their back office position.”

Case study: Camden Housing Estate Parking Project

The team managed a borough-wide consultation, design and implementation of enforceable parking designs and traffic orders on housing estates in the London Borough of Camden. Richard Plant, project manager and workstream lead, built effective positive relationships vital to progressing a high profile and ongoing project.

Components of the project included:

• engaging with all borough housing estate residents on the legalities and benefits of formal parking controls
• progressing bespoke and safe designs for a shortlisted nine estates
• consultation with those estates on proposed designs progressing to draft and implementing TMOs (October 2023).

Case study: Royal Albert Hall Counter Terror Scheme

The Liveable Places Parking Team was involved in a scheme by Westminster City Council to close off the western arm of Kensington Gore for 12 hours each day to help protect visitors to the Royal Albert Hall from any potential vehicle-based terror threat.

The proposals proved contentious, and a local resident pursued his objection through the courts. The legal challenge was on three grounds, the Public Sector Equality Duty, the Human Rights Act, and the correct use of section 22 for the traffic order.

The team’s work on this project was led by Phil Jessop, who used his experience and expertise to guide the Borough Solicitor in the interpretation of the Procedure Regulations as it was pivotal to the legal challenge. He also reviewed the council project officer’s witness statement, informing legal text and content.

The Liveable Places Parking Team’ involvement was key to the council successfully defending the challenge as far as it related to the use of powers and the traffic order.