Bays could ease burden

Parking restrictions in loading bays in Southwell should be relaxed, according to town councillors.

The council’s planning committee has suggested a parking scheme for King Street and Queen Street that would allow ad-hoc parking in loading bays between 6pm and 8am Monday to Saturdays.

They propose no parking restrictions on Sundays.

The proposal was backed unanimously by the committee and will now go to a full council meeting for approval.

If it is backed, the town council will ask Nottinghamshire County Council to consider implementing the idea.

Speaking at the meeting Southwell’s county councillor, Mr Bruce Laughton, said: “Currently if you park in a loading bay, enforcement officers have a five-minute observation period where you have to be seen to be unloading.

“If you are not, you can be given a ticket.”

A town councillor, Mrs Beryl Rimmer, said she knew of a motorist who parked in a loading bay and displayed a disabled person’s blue badge and was given a penalty parking ticket for staying more than five minutes.

She said: “It is crazy. They would have actually been better off parking on double yellow lines and creating more congestion.”

Mr John Robinson said: “People should be allowed to park in the loading bays during the evening. People are going to pubs and restaurants and things, which is good for the town.”

Mrs Beryl Prentice said: “The loading bays are often clear during the day, which is a good thing.

“At night people do use them but they are always looking over their shoulder because you are liable for a parking ticket.”

Concern was raised that 8am in the morning was too late and would interfere with trading lorries that need to access shops.

Mrs Prentice said: “Most of the shops get deliveries during the day. I think it would only interfere with one shop in the town.”