Fears that Marlborough will become gridlocked with cars exploded again last night (Monday) when Marlborough town councillors were told that just four parking spaces are to be provided for the new £1.2 million sixth form study centre due to be built at St John’s School.
The project for 200 senior students, many from outside the town and driving their own cars, has enraged more than 230 households adjoining the school site, a dozen protestors attending a meeting of the council’s Planning Committee.
The committee passed a motion declaring: “While we welcome the development of the school, we strongly oppose the failure to address the issues of traffic flow, overlooking highway safety and the inadequacy of parking provision.”
It was moved by Councillor Alec Light, himself a resident of Orchard Road, on the edge of the school site. “Any development in the town has to supply parking,” he said. “Everyone has to supply it. Why not the school?”
Councillor Nick Fogg, one of Marlborough’s two Wiltshire councillors, has already “called in” the school’s planning application for the two-storey extension, which will now go before the county’s Eastern Area Planning Committee.
“We need to point out to the school that we need to be good neighbours – and I am sorry to say that they are not being good neighbours,” Councillor Marian Hanniford-Dobson, the planning committee chairman, told councillors.
And the Mayor, Councillor Guy Loosmore, declared: “We do have a mini-crisis, a growing crisis about car parking in this town. With the new developments coming through to us now we are constantly rattling up against this issue that not enough car parking space is being provided.
“It’s time now when we must insist that planning must incorporate sufficient infrastructure improvements otherwise this town is going to be heading towards gridlock.”
And Councillor Justin Cook, whose taxi company frequently visits St John’s, pointed out their was already a serious lack of parking facilities for the over-subscribed school, which already has 1,700 students.
He said he feared the repercussions of “building this massive block without any infrastructure behind it.” Adding: “It is a prime example of no thought going into the infrastructure.
“They want to push something through to the detriment of people who pay their council tax and live in the town. I think it is ridiculous. If we pass this through tonight we need our heads looking at.”
Councillor Richard Allen said that even the provision of 30 extra car parking spaces, as suggested by one resident, would be inadequate because public transport failed to provide a service for students.
“You are looking at 200 students, many of whom will come from outside the immediate Marlborough town area. We are inviting a reduction in the attractiveness of this town. Parking is already a serious problem for residents.
“Yet suddenly we are listening to some people suggesting all we need is four extra parking places for 200 students and the associated staff at the sixth form centre.”
Similar concerns about the inadequacy of car parking have been raised by town councillors – and campaigning residents – over plans for new housing at Rabley Wood and the introduction of a major care home project needing 120 staff off the Salisbury Road.
Two protestors were allowed to give their views to the committee: Bob Grice, from Cherry Orchard, revealing that cars often had to reverse 250 yards to maintain a traffic flow. “That is not a very clever situation in a residential area,” he told councillors.
“It only takes one small child to run out into the road and we have a disaster.”
And retired company director Gordon Hutt, a Ducks Meadow resident for 42 years, reiterated the concern of 31 householders there of the potential parking problems when St Mary’s infant and junior schools are merged into one development” (the planned merger of St Peter’s junior school with St Mary’s infants).
“If St John’s was a PLC, then all the parents in this town whose children go there would be stakeholders and this would be a matter of corporate social responsibility,” he said.
“We have a responsibility to support the school. They should recognise that they have an equal responsibility to us too.”
Waitrose’s Grow and Sell learning project for children is given Alan Titchmarsh’s own accolade
