ST. NICHOLAS STREET CAR PARK CONSULTATION

 

REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CAR PARK ACTION GROUP

 

The Car Parking Action Group is a group of concerned local people who are determined to ensure that the Council does not charge excessively for car parking spaces or impose unnecessary charges which might have an adverse impact on business or the community. We have no constitution. We are not a corporate body in any sense whatsoever, and we have no fixed membership.

 

In 2005 we campaigned vigorously against the Council’s decision to raise car park charges by 25%.

 

We now understand that the Council wishes to impose car parking charges on St. Nicholas Street Norton. We are invited to make representations.

 

The following people attended a meeting with Council officers in November 2006: Cllr. Paul Andrews, Chris Buxton, Keith Mennel, Denys Townsend and Roddy Bushell. There was a full discussion of the issues and the Group was invited to make representations.

 

We were told that, at that time, the public consultation over imposing charges at St. Nicholas Street had not yet commenced.

 

There was a further meeting with officers on 26th October 2007, which was attended by Cllrs. Paul Andrews and Elizabeth Shields, County Councillor David Lloyd Williams and Chris Buxton (for the Action Group), and Phil Long and Cllrs. Howard and Di. Keel and Cllr. Mrs. Linda Cowling (for the Council).

 

We make the following representations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX

 

 

RENAISSENCE MARKET TOWNS PROGRAMME

 

The passage quoted by officers in support of the Council’s position is as follows:

 

 “Many people fear that making changes to the way that parking is managed will adversely affect the town’s economy………. However, the limited evidence which does  exist  suggests that it is the town’s broader retail, commercial, leisure or tourism offer which is the primary factor affecting the town’s competitiveness, not the provision of parking…………..” (Page 6 Column 1)

 

Please note:

 

  1. Provision of parking  is not the same as the cost of car parking;

 

  1. Matters that are primary factors affecting the town’s competitiveness includes the leisure or tourism offer – this confirms what the Action Group has always said about Malton/Norton being at a disadvantage compared with Pickering and Helmsley – so that Malton/Norton should be treated differently.

 

  1. The document is concerned with car parking management and says very little about charges. The Lockwood Study is referred to, but there is nothing that we  could find in the document which is in conflict with Lockwood’s findings. If you think we’re wrong, please show me where the conflict arises.

 

The following passages are relevant to our discussions:

 

A. “When changes to parking restrictions, charges or enforcement are made, the evidence suggests that the primary responses to that change tend to be:

 

 

 

(Page 6 Col 2)

In the case of Wentworth Street, the  report to  Community Services this year did not, of course, cover any of these matters. The Council just has not even tried to take any of these matters into account or to make an accurate survey.

 

B “However, it is essential that gateway parking is complemented by good signposting to the car park on approach roads, as well as pedestrian signposting from the car park to the town centre itself” (Page 6 Col 2)

 

This was never done in the case of Wentworth Street.

 

C.“Footfall, retail performance and parking are related (probably)……………..

 

Higher parking costs do tend to lead to shorter stays which can affect retail revenue per head……………..”(Page 9 Col 1)

 

D.“In general terms comparison shopping is thought to be more susceptible to parking controls than convenience shopping and in some case there does appear to be a short-term downturn as a result of introducing charging”(Page 9 Col 2)

 

E.“The acceptability of charging relates to several factors:

 

 

 

 

Please note that this comment is completely consistent with and confirms Lockwood,  who defines status of town  in terms of whether or not they are a national centre, a regional centre (eg Leeds), a sub-regional centre (eg. York or Scarborough) or a District centre (eg. Malton/Norton or Pickering, and recommends levels o charges which are appropriate to each type of centre.

 

F. “The following is a list of signs that greater management  of parking may not  bring benefits:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last three bulleted items would clearly include Norton – and, of course, Malton as well.

 

There are other passages which could be quoted in support of the Action Group’s case.

 

 

 

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