Parking, particularly for residents in certain areas of Marlborough is getting very difficult – a real ‘thorny’ issue. At last night’s meeting of the Planning Committee of the Town Council (Monday 27 October), two groups of residents raised questions over the real parking (and access) difficulties they were encountering on a daily basis and in both cases these isues were forwarded to the decision-making body – LFHIG (Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group) for them to confirm and schedule.
The two areas are Lower Prospect, just off Blowhorn St in St Martins and Orchard Road, adjacent to St John’s Academy.
The residents of Lower Prospect now find that with the pressures created by charged parking elsewhere in the town, visitors, other residents and workers are using Lower Prospect as a convenient parking spot to leave the car whilst they were about their other business. In most cases people were leaving their cars there for whole days, or overnight.
As one resident pointed out there are fifteen spaces in Lower Prospect, one for each property and all on the street as no off street parking there. It’s a cul-de-sac. Very difficult, particularly for elderly residents and younger families with children who need the car to be parked reasonably close to where they live, as beyond Lower Prospect the number of spaces available is always minimal. The Committee debated this and then agreed – unanimously – that this be sent to LHFIG for approval and subsequent implementation. The Committee suggested an overnight only restriction, which seemed to conflict with the reason behind the request as those parking there will be at all hours, particularly during the day. The argument here is for a 24hr permit zone to be created, effective seven days per week. See note below about the York Place development.
Orchard Road: a different scenario and caused by student drivers to St John’s. There is plenty of parking within St John’s itself for students but they don’t want to drive that small extra journey up Granham Hill. St John’s is fully supportive of the residents concerns and back this proposal. The school has requested, and then issued instructions to students (and parents) not to park in Orchard Road. They can’t enforce this so students who drive to school just ignore those requests / instructions. And residents, in that cul-de-sac area find great difficulty in parking for themselves. But this also impacts on services, and possible emergencies. Bin lorries, Emergency Service vehicles such as Ambulances and Fire Appliances can’t get access as the parking restricts entry to this area.
The committee argeed, unanimously for an 08:00 to 15:30 Monday-Friday restriction to a new permit zone to go forward to LHFIG for confirmation.
One consideration that wasn’t raised regarding the Lower Prospect area: York Place. This development will be proceeding, soon. Apart from all the disruption during construction (existing parking spaces in St Martins will be affected) when this development is complete there will be a significant increase in the number of cars looking to park in this area. Discussed widely (but ignored by Wiltshire Council Planners) was the fact that the number of parking spaces for this development was far less than the linkely number of cars owned and used by the incoming residents. So all around this area the issues of parking will become far more severe. Likely a far more widespread and comprehensive Residents Parking Zone to be created to protect spaces for residents? Very……. And this should be a 24hr / 7 day per week zone.
This could be just the tip of the iceberg. There is already one Residents Parking Zone in operation in Kennet Place. It works. There are numerous other parking ‘hot spots’ across the town where residents are finding that ‘their’ parking is difficult as many areas don’t have houses with drives so parking has to be on street.
Marlborough Rugby – Last kick draw against accomplished St Austell on The Common
