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Parking fee fears




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There are fears charges could be introduced at all carparks in Southwell.

Town councillor Mr Andy Gregory said he was concerned other carpark owners would follow the example of Newark and Sherwood District Council by introducing charges.

“If they see charging in other carparks they could easily do it as well,” he said.

“We will see parking charges in every carpark in this town.”

Mr Gregory was speaking during a town council debate on Wednesday on the district council’s decision to start charging at its carparks in King Street and Church Street from May.

There will be two hours free parking, it will cost £1.50 for three hours and £1 an hour after that.

The charges will apply from 8am-6pm seven days a week.

There are other carparks at the Co-op, the Saracen’s Head Hotel, Dunham House and behind the library.

The town council has a carpark in Memorial Drive and plans to provide extra spaces at Kings Court.

Mr Gregory said he understood why Southwell traders were considering taking legal action to fight the imposition of charges.

“We have been forced down this line by the district council,” he said.

Two years ago, a working party of town councillors, residents and traders decided certain conditions would have to be met before parking charges were introduced in Southwell.

The working party wanted on and off-street parking restrictions enforced, parking permits for residents and long-stay provision for town centre workers and traders.

In the Newark and Sherwood District Council Off-street Parking Places Order 2008, published in the Advertiser on Friday, there was a reference to a Bishop’s Drive carpark in Southwell.

The town council plans to oppose the inclusion of that carpark in the order, object to Sunday charges and raise the need for a residents’ parking scheme.

Mr Brendan Haigh said he had concerns about the district council’s order.

He said the order referred to free parking within parking bays at Bishop’s Drive carpark.

He said there was no carpark in Bishop’s Drive and it could only refer to the Memorial Drive carpark that was owned and managed by the town council.

“It is not the responsibility of the district council to make regulations relating to our own carparks,” he said. “I think it is a mistake.

“We are not going to hand over ownership or management to the district council, as far as I am aware.

“We have got to be very careful about allowing the district council any control of it at all.”

Mrs Beryl Prentice said she thought Sundays were to be excluded from charging because the Church Street carpark was used by the minster congregation.

Mr John Robinson said he was angry that charges were being introduced in Southwell but not Ollerton or Edwinstowe.

He said he thought it was because Southwell was considered wealthy.

He said councils were forced to look for money wherever they could find it because less was being provided by central government.

Mr Peter Pay said he thought there would be flexibility in the scheme so the charges would not apply in Southwell until additional carparking was provided.

Town and district councillors, Mr Peter Harris and Mrs Pauline Jenkins, want to meet the district portfolio holder for carparks, Mr David Payne, to discuss residents’ parking issues.

The district’s environment manager, Mr Alan Batty, said: “We currently charge for parking on Sundays in some of our Newark carparks.

“Under the new parking order we are charging for Sunday parking in all of our carparks in Newark.

“We have attended and listened to various opinions and suggestions for Southwell carparks. “The portfolio holder attended various meetings as well and these were taken into account when cabinet made their decision.

“The parking dynamics across the three places [Southwell, Ollerton and Edwinstowe] is very different, with differing numbers of carparking spaces and the turnover of spaces. The ability to pay was not a factor.”

Mr Batty said the council was looking into the Bishop’s Drive carpark issue.



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