Have your say on parking proposals

Following on from the meeting on Thursday, 14th January, where Alderley Edge Parish Council presented their parking review and strategy, they have now released a consultation document. This represents the first draft which the Parish Council hopes to develop into a more comprehensive strategy addressing the current and future needs of the village.

Having carried out a parking review in June and October 2015, the Parish Council has put together the proposals which they feel will provide the most cost‐ effective solutions. These proposals will add new parking spaces to serve the refurbished Festival Hall and Medical Centre, add new spaces for long stay parking (primarily for those who work in the village) and reconfigure existing village centre car parking (South Street car park the Ryleys Lane Car Park) to provide more short term car parking.

Their recommended solution centres on creating two new car parks:

Heyes Lane

  • Providing 44 car parking spaces.
  • This will also include an access road to the Festival Hall to relieve traffic pressures on Stamford and Talbot Roads.
  • It will provide additional car parking space for the Festival Hall and Medical Centre
  • This solution results in the loss of about 25% of the allotment space.
  • According to their consultants the cost would be £200,000, giving a cost per space of £4545.

Chorley Hall Lane

  • Providing 100 parking spaces on the lower end of the playing fields.
  • This will provide long stay car parking spaces for those working in the village.
  • From the work the Parish Council has done so far they feel this is the lowest cost site available and would not result in any loss of amenity to sports clubs using Chorley Hall Lane Playing Fields.
  • According to their consultants the cost would be £374,000, giving a cost per space of £3740.

Changes to existing car parks

  • South Street will be reconfigured to short term parking only. In due course existing all‐day parking agreements will be phased out.
  • Ryleys Lane, which is currently free to use and lacks any formal parking spaces, will – once Chorley Hall Lane Car Park is established – be reconfigured for short term parking.

The Parish Council has also identified further options which will need addressing as the parking strategy develops. These are:

  • Schools Drop‐Off and Pick‐Up Initiative
  • Re‐assessing Residents Parking Surplus
  • Seeking out incremental space gains (from small one or two space areas to much larger 30‐40 space areas privately or commercially owned)
  • Renting out day time space on residential drives
  • Walking or Cycling – Provision of Cycle Racks in the Village
  • Effective Employers Car Share Schemes
  • Improvements in Public Transport

Click here to view the Alderley Edge Parish Council Car Parking Review consultation document.

The Feedback Form is available to download here. Paper copies are available in the Library, completed copies can be dropped off at the Library or at the Parish Council Office at the Festival Hall.

The results of that consultation will then be reported back at a Feedback Meeting meeting to be held at Alderley Edge Methodist Church on Thursday 11th February.

Images: Proposed layout of car parks at Heyes Lane, Chorley Hall Lane and Ryleys Lane.

Tags:
Alderley Edge Parish Council, Car Parking Review, Parking, Parking
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Duncan Herald
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 11:26 am
1. have Cheshire East said 'yes', 'no' or 'maybe' to car parking on the different sites ?

2. may we please see the consultants' report/s for ourselves ? I'd be happy to pay for and collect a paper copy from the F. Hall, if cost is a factor.

3. may we please see a detailed explanation of the costings at the different sites ?

4. why is the possibility of ALL the Heyes Lane site becoming a car park not included in the P.C's proposals; after all, many people have suggested that it is the best (least worst) option ?
Tam Byrne
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 1:15 pm
I think that the report is on the link above Duncan. If you can call the PC going out early, feeling car bonnets, having some breakfast and coming back again a reliable parking consultation document. They might as well have guessed. How much did that take to create? Was any research used from the previous PC's analysis that resulted in Heyes Lane being recommended as a compete car parking solution?

Why doesn't the report compare more spaces at Chorley Hall Lane, or tarmacing the whole of Heyes Lane? Not saying either are the answer just to look at more options and proper evaluation. From what I have read so far there isn't anything on what other sites were looked at and why they didn't make the 'shortlist'.
Jonathan Savill
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 1:31 pm
The survey allows for the expression of a full spectrum of views from support and total agreement of the 4 parking strategies through to complete disagreement of all the measures further inviting the respondent to give reasons / suggestions.

Given that we understand the survey outcome will be published in an unvetted / unedited format the distribution of answers represents a very direct form of democracy and transparency of process.

Nothing can be inferred by a non-respondent, agreement or disagreement, analogous to election results (you know those people who say the people who didn't vote
would have voted with their personal preference if only they voted).

There was a previous survey / feedback exercise from the previous PC on the same subject which only yielded just over a hundred responses.A small volume considering the care and effort taken to post to all households.

Accordingly please read the consultation doc and take the survey , paper form, online - works well on mobile phone , takes a couple of minutes unless you want to wax lyrical in the comments box. Let the shops / offices and neighbours know about the survey.

The greater volume of respondents the safer the majority wishes are representative. Come on folks, no more "silent-minority/silent majority" excuses this time.
Martin Dixon
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 3:58 pm
Tam

I think I am right in saying that there was no research or analysis carried out by the previous PC, but I could be wrong. There was a report put together by CEC back in 2011 that can be found at http://bit.ly/1UZwxRn I think that its findings might be a bit out of date though but it might be helpful to you.

As far as other sites, I am not sure where they might be, did you have any possible locations in mind?
Tam Byrne
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 5:10 pm
Martin

I'll see if I can speak to the previous PC and find out for definite just to make sure either way.

I read the costings provided on the presentation and report. Is there a seperare document I can see where these came from? What they include for each comparison?

I would like to see that, and the costing of a full car park of 140 spaces on Heyes Lane, and to be fair, 140 spaces on Chorley Hall Lane. The more information the better if any decisions are to be made.
Chris Harper
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 5:59 pm
The below copied extract from a recent comment posted on alderleyedge.com to the article "Reader's Letter: Plan for Chorley Hall Lane car park is totally ill conceived, bias and dangerous" by parish councillor Mike Dudley Jones may go some way to explain the question raised by quite a few people of why a greater size carpark has not been put forward by the current parish council at Heyes lane - seems that they have their own and other plans for this area, to provide a park and lake. (Please see mikes comment copied below). This such plan has a massive knock on as to compensate we now then stand to lose a large area (only such area remaining in the village) of public open space / amenity at CHL playing field where the village adults and their kids can go and kick a ball, fly a kite, run, walk, sit, talk, play, gather........etc.). Should this not be part of the proposals also / open for comment? Are the kids in this village (and ultimately the future of this village) and their needs being reflected in any of the proposals, decisions, survey, forums...... The answer is no.

"There are some considerable challenges surrounding Heyes Lane and we must all tread carefully now that we know some of the costs involved - and the problems surrounding the water course and culvert. Personally, I feel comfortable with the proposal to place an extra 44 car parking spaces and a vital access road on 25% of the Heyes Lane Allotments space otherwise the huge investment we needed to make in the Festival Hall will be wasted."

"I would also like to see the remainder of the area at Heyes Lane turned into a beautiful Park with trees, a small lake and ducks - Festival Gardens - at some point in the future. I would like to see the War Memorial ceremonially moved to the centre of that park And yes, I am the ex President of the Allotment Society! What I don't believe we need is a huge slab of Tarmac."
Martin Dixon
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 5:59 pm
Tam

I don't know if there is a separate document, I only have as much information as you.

If you need to speak to the previous PC I would recommend contacting Duncan Herald as he seems to be the only one of them that wants to engage. He is extremely passionate about parking. When he was a councillor he did try to set up a parking forum to canvas the opinions of the residents but he was shut down by the rest of the PC. He was only trying to do what the current PC are doing.

Could I ask, if you don't mind, were you the good looking bloke with the lever arch file, sitting about ten rows back at the meeting the other night?
Claire MacLeod
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 8:07 pm
Hi Chris

I am going to stick my head above the parapet again, even though I acknowledge there is a distinct possibility I may again be accused of being an 'attack dog', because I have expressed an opinion that may be at odds with some other posters on this site.

I just wanted to point out that you may be taking Mike D-J's comments out of context (unwittingly, I'm sure). In the article that relates to the presentation made last week, Mike is quoted as saying "The future of Alderley Edge is in the hands of all of us. We've got to understand that. It is not in the hands of the Parish Council, we have to understand it's in the hands of all of us and we've got to play our part in making this village better if we can." I do believe this is the position that Mike and, indeed, the whole of the Parish Council are genuinely committed to. It is one of the reasons why the Parish Council has my support.

In the quote you have attributed to him in your post above, where he remarks that he would (personally) like to see a park and a fountain (and war memorial) on the Heyes Lane site, it is important to take the previous quote on board. Just because he would like the park and the fountain, doesn't mean to say that is what going to happen. He has simply expressed a personal preference. I think it is important for people reading this site to understand the difference.

The second point I would like to make is that I am confused why you and a number of other people keep referring to the Chorley Hall Lane playing fields as the "(only such area remaining in the village) of public open space / amenity at CHL playing field where the village adults and their kids can go and kick a ball, fly a kite, run, walk, sit, talk, play, gather........etc.)." Have you forgotten the public park? I believe it is only a few yards away from the Chorley Hall playing field. I think there is a danger of people getting carried away with misleading rhetoric. This can happen when people feel passionately about an issue.

These points are made with respect for your personal position on the issue and I do hope they are received accordingly.
Tam Byrne
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 9:49 pm
Claire, isn't that like saying who needs an allotment when you have a back garden to grow vegetables in?

Yes there is a park, used for different activities, but doesn't de-value a playing field
Tam Byrne
Sunday 17th January 2016 at 11:41 pm
PS Martin, no I would never claim to be good looking nor carry a lever arch file to a meeting where I expect the content to be as irrelevant as it was.
Martin Dixon
Monday 18th January 2016 at 11:12 am
Tam

I doesn't sound like you went to the meeting with a very open mind. I thought it was very informative and certainly relevant to village parking issues.
Lisa Baldwin
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 10:19 am
Hi All

I have read the above comments with interest and also a little bit of amusement and as a local resident wanted to state my views also.

I think everyone who is blaming the previous PC needs to stop the niggling gripes and in some of the above.. I can only describe as rants .. Stop the personal attacks against previous PC and members of our community.

This post is about the current PC car park plans and not previous issues to which you might have experienced.

For those saying they haven't been consulted over the current plans ... Just wanted to point out that this is exactly what the PC doing now... Hence the 'consultation meetings'.... Of which everyone is welcome to attend and if you had attended the last meeting you would have seen that a lot of your concerns were addressed.

The Chorley lane playing fields seems the most controversial .. Due to the loss of some green space... However I do feel there is already an ample playing park in Alderley edge right next door... Plus a massive woodland -the edge - where there has been enough fresh air and green space for all for many years now.

There is also a massive field near beech cottages where you can fly kites and play football all day long should you wish.

Also wanted to state that after visiting Chorley lane playing fields at 1 pm last Sunday on a clear day there was not one person or family on the green space which makes me feel it isn't as widely used as people are stating.

The PC aren't wanting to take the whole space.. Just the boggy section.. Where I struggle to see it possible to kick a ball or fly a kite anyway. They want to keep the football pitch also.

And for those concerns over the footpath over the bridge if you read the consultation plans fully the PC are going to make this bridge safe in one way or another.

Plus a new Tarmac path will be put from the new long stay car park on Chorley playing fields through to the station area and park.

The facts are:

Astra Zeneca are building nearly 300 homes on their site.

The parking situation in Alderley WILL get worse.

We need a solution

After visiting the meeting last week and hearing the PC plans for phase 1 and phase 2 I am happy that they have taken on everyone's best interests.

If we don't reach an agreement then nothing will be done.. Commuters to Manchester will continue parking on our resident streets.

Enterprise in the village with our important independents will die.. As no one will be able to park short term to shop with them.

No solution is going to make everyone happy. However if we stop all the bickering and look at the facts perhaps we will see the wood for the trees.

I would actually also like to thank the PC for the efforts that they have already made to reach this consultation phase.

Lisa Baldwin - Devonshire Drive resident
Sue Joseph
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 6:00 pm
Martin
Just to clarify, Duncan did indeed take a lead regarding thinking of possible parking solutions he was supported by Melanie Connor and myself.

The previous PC did try to consult but received minimal responses as mentioned above. The matter only 'erupted' when the Heyes Lane site came into the equation. The plan was never to turn it into a barren patch of Tarmac but to use Grasscrete type surfacing, which is used by the National Trust, and landscaping including trees and flower beds.
However that is in the past, I still favour using Heyes Lane in its entirety and encouraging other solutions alongside. The issue will not go away until we all have personal 'jet packs' and cars become redundant will get worse!!
Ian Cook
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 7:03 pm
Lisa has summed this issue up perfectly, it's not about who did what and to whom...it's about the bigger picture... our village and its future for children, parents, pensioners, visitors, workers, employers and shopkeepers.... not the PC

The fact is Alderley needs more parking sooner rather than later and in truth both areas need to be developed to give us any chance, the festival hall will be a white elephant without parking, so the 20% allotment parking hopefully solves that problem, however it's not large enough to solve the station problems, which the Playing fields extra parking might help with.

The sooner the better please.
Vin Sumner
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 8:40 pm
I am getting confused with all the parking threads ,,,,, can they be brought together in on place that will be noted by the PC
Lisa Reeves
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 8:46 pm
If you click on the parking tag at the end of the article it will bring up all the related articles- http://www.alderleyedge.com/news/tag/parking, or the Parish Council tag - though that will obviously bring up other PC related news.
Vin Sumner
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 8:54 pm
Thanks Lisa , understand that , but its hard to follow conversations on multiple threads even with help of tags .... :-) i would like one thread on here that PC endorsed for feedback
Sandy Marshall
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 8:54 pm
Well said,Lisa, I agree with all your comments& especially your thanks to our new PC for their efforts in dealing with this extremely difficult parking problem.
I am happy with all he proposals. Good luck!
Vin Sumner
Tuesday 19th January 2016 at 9:20 pm
A few comments re the online survey :

1) its only allows one role - i.e. i can't tick resident and business owner ... i could fill 2 forms in but ......

2) if you want to make comments then suggest you compile offline , as you can't stop and start again

3) the structure survey has very much a feel that these are the proposals , agree or disagree rather than a wider consolation on parking or even mobility issues

4) i would be happy for my survey input to be made public , so maybe there should be an option available to publish ... otherwise lets publish here

best

Vin
Chris Harper
Wednesday 20th January 2016 at 9:28 am
Can understand some of the fear re: additional houses at Astra Zeneca site may invoke (expect in part this is why it was mentioned at the meeting). These houses however (and any for that matter constructed on the edges of Alderley Edge) are not a long stay car parking problem. We should be actively discouraging these people from bringing their vehicles into the village for long stay (to catch the train etc.). I have just followed today the Royal London shuttle bus that operates in Wilmslow from the Royal London site to the train station – so potentially any easy solution as a similar plan could be implemented / is already intended to be implemented at the Astra Zeneca site). We do need to consider that these people will want to shop, eat and attend the festival hall in our great village – this therefore is a short stay issue and CHL is not the answer (as per the ‘’cons’’ presented by the Parish Council – location, access, likely highway costs – the suggestion to one way CHL will impact traffic flows through the whole village (in particular the main shopping road) and it is likely modifications to junctions at both ends of Chorley Hall Lane and also Ryleys Lane / London Road would need to be considered). Short Stay then falls back to Ryleys Lane, South Street, Heyes Lane as the Parish Council has presented.

The long stay issue that CHL Playing Field has been put forward for is complex and we are seriously uncertain if enough has been completed to understand it and or firstly negate it. The survey by volunteers (very much appreciated and we are sure with good intentions) was completed over only two days and has not provided clear scientific proof of numbers and splits for train park and riders and the village workers (particularly the village shop / bar / restaurant / small office workers). There are then other questions - Who should we be catering for as train park and riders – residents of other villages who have more restrictive parking provisions around their station? Do not think we should. Many of these will not spend money in the village – they simply catch the train before many shops are open and head home immediately after their return journey. What numbers do we then cater for train park and ride? It is very very possible that it is not a great many number of cars and less again when factoring that many will feel aggrieved at paying £5.00 / day at CHL and then having to walk along CHL and through the village main street or the muted path (although not presented in any published information) that will run through the playing field, CHL allotments, the park, up the stairs, down London road to the pedestrian crossing (opposite running bear – unless we are moving this or providing another, at some cost we would expect), back along London Road and across Heyes Lane to the station). It certainly may not be the excessive 100 Nr spaces as proposed at CHL. Given that most of the residents in the village (and also residents of a new development on the edge of the village) could walk (and a walk of equal / similar distance to that proposed at CHL) to the train, we should not then be encouraging them to drive by providing car spaces?

This then leaves the village workers as categorised above – how many are we talking about? Will they pay to park (expect many earning at the lower end of the typical hourly rate will not want to)? Unless we yellow line and restrict every street in the village they will have other options not to pay and of equal / similar distance to that of parking at CHL? Do we create a preferential street location for them i.e. Ryleys Lane. Implement an approved village worker parking sticker that allows them to park in certain areas (change the colour regularly to catch the people who no longer work or need to park - it is in the business owners to ensure this managed / not abused). Employ good strong and regular enforcement. Restricting park and riders, some line markings and stickers for village workers are not costly and easily reversed (unlike tarmac)

Just a couple of thoughts – not exhaustive however such simple ideas for Long Stay solutions as above have to be the first port of call. This has got to be approached in stages, it is unfortunate that the survey / current proposals do not allow for this / may have missed these initial steps to reduce the long stay parking problem.

Linked to the staged approach is that Festival Hall currently has no car parking allocated (except the 44 nr spaces in the Parish Parking Proposal at Heyes Lane). The Parish Council admit to avoid this facility becoming a significant loss earner and failure that access from Heyes Lane and parking provision must be provided (and we would say as a matter of urgency given that it opens in March 2016). Surely this has to be the first village focus and therefore to avoid delays it should not be linked / complicated with other proposals? It may be then that the parking for Festival Hall may link / assist with solving other short (and long) stay problems, allowing for re-assessment of the whole situation after it’s completion. With a business and travel plan for Festival Hall we could understand how many car parks Festival Hall needs and this then could be mixed with other short / long stay parking etc. – what are the intentions for events? are there peaks and troughs at festival hall (times / dates) that would allow these spaces to be offered up for short and long stay? Short and long stay can be easily managed in the same carpark – it is at many hospitals, airports, shopping centres etc.

Others have mentioned it however if we do not get to the basics of the problem (particularly with long stay) and then try and negate / provide simple alternatives first none of the proposals currently tabled will be enough, we will just need to tarmac more and more areas with the same problem remaining (getting worse) and this that can’t be in any of the villages / residents interest.
Peter Smallwood
Monday 25th January 2016 at 3:21 pm
I am still digesting the detail but do have a couple of questions, The average size of the Hayes Lane parking spaces appears to be 39 sqm (142 spaces) and 3.2.3 sqm (44 spaces) against the Chorley Hall 27.1 sqm (100 spaces.).Whilst appreciating the differences in the sites it does seem a large variance.
I would also ask what thought has been given to encourage motorists to use new car parking when they have become so used to using free legal street car parking that presumably will still be avaliable.
Duncan Herald
Tuesday 2nd February 2016 at 8:13 pm
Hi Peter,
back in the day, one idea was to charge something like 40p per hour, so as to get customers used to the idea of parking at Heyes Lane. Later a more realistic sum. Would that have worked? Dunno. !
Perhaps best comparison re. size of parking spaces would be to use West Street car park as a 'model'? 'cos both West St. & Heyes Lane are rectangles?