Residents from a number of streets in the village are calling on Cheshire East Council to introduce parking restrictions to prevent all day parking by commuters.
Mike Taylorson attended the Full Council meeting on Thursday, 28th July, to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Redesmere Drive, Windermere Drive, Grassmere Road, Thirlmere Close, Eaton Drive, Sutton Road, Haddon Close, Wilton Crescent, Aldord Place, Meadow Brow and Meadscroft Drive in Alderley Edge.
The petition, which has been signed by over 88% of the 203 households which are currently occupied in these areas, is requesting that Cheshire East Highways introduces a three hour waiting restriction for vehicles parked on these residential streets between the hours of 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
The petition is supported by both Alderley Edge Parish Council and our ward councillor Craig Browne.
At the Full Council meeting, Mike Taylorson "We welcome visitors to Alderley Edge, whether they be workers, shoppers and restaurant clients, however we do not welcome the continued abuse of our residential streets by commuters who park up before 8am and then take the train to Manchester and beyond.
"These people regularly park without consideration for residents and add nothing to our local economy. Last summer the Parish Council carried out a detailed survey of vehicles left all day in these residential streets and established large numbers are being left by commuters using Alderley Edge station.
"We also invited the former Portfolio Holder Les Gilbert to Alderley Edge to witness the situation for himself.
"We are calling on the Council to take action, we do not seek to eliminate on-street parking, believing that would be unreasonable, we do however seek to restrict it in order to help reduce some of the problems caused to local residents.
"Such as blocked footpaths which have become inaccessible by wheelchair or pushchair, refuse not being collected due to ANSA vehicles being denied access by double parked cars, life-threatening situations where emergency vehicles have been unable to negotiate badly parked cars, incidences of aggressive behaviour towards residents which have already necessitated police intervention and Highways having to make several visits in order to complete the gully cleaning programme costing CEC more money.
"The fact that commuters have chosen Alderley Edge as a convenient and free public car park, as they head into Manchester, is not the fault of Cheshire East however, Cheshire East does have a responsibility to its Council Tax paying residents.
"Apart from the on-street parking restrictions requested in this petition what is really needed is investment in new or extended off-street parking. Funding this kind of solution is beyond the Parish Council which has already incurred a debt of £2.5 million to build a new medical centre for its residents.
"It also beyond the Wilmslow Local Areas Highways Partnership which has just £24,000 per year to allocate to 8 ward members. At £3000 each that's not even one TRO per ward.
"Our residents have an expectation of investment in their local road and parking infrastructure which reflects their Council Tax contribution. We respectively ask the leadership of Cheshire East to respond positively to this residents petition and work with both the Parish Council and ward councillor to address this issue as a priority."
The document was handed to Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader, responsible for Highways and Infrastructure, and they now await his response on behalf of the residents.
What do you think about the petition to ban all-day parking on these selected residential streets?
Do you work in the village and park in a residential area?
Do you live on a street that is not included in the petition and are concerned that it will have a negative impact on you due to displacement parking?
Share your views via the comment box below.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
- the absence of no cost and inadequately low cost parking for commuters and workers in the village centre
- the likelihood that if people are prevented from parking in closer streets, they will simply move a little further out to other streets
So without adequate parking the problem will just move a few streets out.
I have already seen cars in recent years parked outside my slightly further out of town home - seven minute walk to the station - for a typical 14 days in the summer... No prizes for guessing where the owners go after parking up!
In the past a rather arrogant former councillor suggested I had no right to a parking space on the public highway but that being the case I'd just have to park outside someone else's home. Similarly unthinking responses not welcome!!!
The above comment is misleading and disingenuous. Many of these cars are parked by people who work in Alderley Edge and commute here from outside of the village.
Over the last three years over 150 public parking spaces which were used by the "workers" for all day parking have been removed and this is what has forced the workers into the housing estates. The 2012 parking review warned that this would be a consequence if provision for alternative all day parking was not made - however this has been ignored in recent months.
Cheshire East also has a responsibility to its Business Rates paying workers - the annual Business rates for a property are far higher than the equivalent council tax, however the debate traditionally centres around the needs of residents and "shoppers" (ie short term visitors), with the workers being perennially ignored.
Every time yellow lines or parking restrictions are added in the village it shunts the problem to somewhere else. The proposal to make Ryleys Lane car park short stay will exacerbate the problem if alternative long stay provision is not made.
It's now well over a year since the Parish Council was elected on a wave of optimism on the promise of sorting out the parking problems, but so far things continue to get worse not better.
Please don't add any more parking restrictions without providing some alternative solution to the problem.
I'm sure many of the residents enjoy the shops and services in the village, but please give a thought to the people serving them.
This is not in anyway condoning thoughtless acts such as blocking footpaths or access which is a separate problem to the length of time a car is permitted to park for.
I appreciate your comment re. the lack of provision of parking by the Parish Council: and indeed by Cheshire East.
It may be that the P.C. have in hand their stated intent of a number of smaller car parks.
If so, can we please be told where their plans are up to?
Otherwise, If they can stand losing face (as in who cares about that?) perhaps they can go back to the old idea of turning the Heyes Lane site into a single car park for between 125 and 175 cars (the difference in size being related to how much greenary etc. is included).
Whichever way, can someone please tell us exactly what is being done?
Its the 'omerta' attitude that bugs me.
After all, the good people of Alderley Edge may have to pay for whatever eventually happens.
I was brought up to believe that 'he who pays the piper, calls the tune'; as opposed to being treated as a mushroom ?
Locals can move their cars as and when necessary - usually once or at most twice a day - but commuters will be completely snookered. OK it causes a little inconvenience to local residents, but it does make much more parking available (I have done it elsewhere in commuter areas Mike Taylorson - ask your father! - and it is still in use thirty years later)
Or maybe we are just a village full of parking enthusiasts? ;)
If these cars are parked illegally by blocking footpaths, driveways, etc, then you don't need yellow lines.
If, on the other hand, the cars are parked legally and sensibly as the picture above seems to indicate, most if not all are, then it's tough luck.
Unless you can prove your title deeds extend to the road outside, they have as much right to use the public highway as anyone.
If cars are parked legally on the public highway, (eg; side roads around the village) then they are quite entitled to park there, provided they're not blocking entrances or driveways.
After all, the huge cost of Road Fund Taxes, etc, all motorists pay allows us to use ANY public road and no one has the right to say "Not in front of my house"
parked outside her house, a visitor, not commuter. Being a frequent visitor I have not witnessed any anti social parking. I can only agree with Paul Williams & David Hadfield.
I don't understand the parish council's and ward counsellor's support for this. A far better solution would be to provide replacement long stay parking for all the places they have removed and continue to remove.
Well, they ain't done anything useful yet !
It's no use them getting 180 signatures saying the residents don't like cars parked on their roads all day and "We do not welcome the continued abuse of our residential streets by commuters who park there all day" .... , that's what roads are for !
This village needs immediate action over the parking situation, not hair-brained moaning.
Please allow me to add a few words of explanation.
Presenting the petition to Full Council provided an opportunity to place on public record the underlying issue within the village, i.e. the need for either new or extended car parking. This was (at least in part) the rationale behind the Parish Council and myself as the Ward Councillor, supporting it. I would like to highlight the following excerpts from the speech above:
"Apart from the on-street parking restrictions requested in this petition what is really needed is investment in new or extended off-street parking . Funding this kind of solution is beyond the Parish Council which has already incurred a debt of £2.5 million to build a new medical centre for its residents."
"Our residents have an expectation of investment in their local road and parking infrastructure which reflects their Council Tax contribution. We respectively ask the leadership of Cheshire East to respond positively to this residents petition and work with both the Parish Council and Ward Councillor to address this issue as a priority."
At the same time, we must recognise that Cheshire East cannot create a situation where it would be held to ransom by each and every Town or Parish Council; therefore as a community we will have to show that we are exploring and exhausting every possible option, including parking restrictions, but also by working together on a Neighbourhood Plan.
I hope this helps to make our position a little clearer.
Kind regards,
Craig
The petition, signed by many residents living on the 11 roads where cars are parked all day, is just a waste of time and effort, in my opinion, as you're not confronting the main problem ?
Residents complaining about "commuters" parking outside their houses all day is incidental and trivial, compared to the real issue of you and your colleagues doing something constructive in finding extra parking spaces in the village.
You have already had many suggestions and it seems the most logical and straightforward answer is to use the Heyes Lane Allotments as a car park.
We're going over old ground here, but, what do you have against the idea of Heyes Lane ?
All you guys have done so far is create surveys, petitions, and yet more surveys.
I'm sorry to hear that you believe a group of residents acting independently and in the best interests of their community, have wasted their time. Personally, I applaud their attempt to do something positive and to give up several hours of their free time trying to help.
I think the statement I quoted in my earlier post, bears repeating "apart from the on-street parking restrictions requested in this petition, what is really needed is investment in new or extended off-street parking". Is this not the real issue to which you refer?
Neither I nor any of the other Parish Councillors are opposed to any of the solutions consulted on last February; however, each one of them would involve a loss of public/recreational open space, which has to be mitigated by creating similar open space somewhere else in the village.
There is no easy answer to this question. Where appropriate land exists, it has to be purchased (which costs money); planning approval has to be sought (which again costs money) and this is before any tarmac can be laid (which costs even more money).
Apart from the obvious financial implications, time is also a factor. I understand and share your frustration, but one thing I have learnt since my election is that the wheels of local government turn at one of two paces: slow or dead slow. I thank you for your continued patience.
Kind regards,
Craig
1. the possibility of turning the Heyes Lane site into a car park was not 'on' the list you offered for consultation Why was that please?
Perhaps you might answer that question, as it was posed by David Hadfield above.
2. the last P.C. intended to go ahead with the Heyes Lane site and the money was available.
To quote David Hadfield above, 'what do you have against the idea of Heyes Lane'?
3. on the subject: who decided which allotment users at Heyes Lane were to be either ejected or forced into a smaller plot, to make room for your proposed mini-car park at Heyes Lane? As far as I am aware, these facts have not been made public. Unless I am wrong (always a possibility) who/how decided?
Under the old scheme, those who lost an allotment space at Heyes Lane, were offered both a new/larger plot at the former St. Hillarys playing field site and a £500 'gift' to cover the costs of re-starting; have you guys offered ought similar?
4. Now that so much time has passed, are you able to reveal to the public, your costings and business plans for the 2 or is it 3 mini car parks?
5. I note that the large and healthy tree, in the Park car park, has been cut down.
I am actually in favour of enlarging that car park (and have repeatedly said so for some years) but could we please have some detailed drawings of your (Cheshire East's ?) proposals. I imagine that you (or Cheshire East) have applied for planning (or Building Regs) for the works?
Thank you for your last two posts it is appreciated, may I ask should the 11 roads requesting a stop to all day parking be blanket spread to the whole of Alderley Edge?. This only fair for everyone, we all live here.
What on earth are you talking about ?
You're applauding the attempt of some local residents who have signed a petition to stop cars parking outside their homes whilst on a public highway ? ............. this is just a nonsense !
Cars are always going to be parked outside the homes of others on a public highway, that's how life is these days ...... if it's a private road, then that's another matter.
What this village needs is ACTION from you and your colleagues in resolving the parking issue and not waffling on about surveys and more surveys and petitions !
After all, you and your colleagues have been elected to serve this community in finding an answer to the parking problem here and you've all been in office for 15 months now.
That was the most important subject discussed at the time and it's something you all said you could do, so what's happened so far ? Have you resolved the parking problem ?
All you've done so far is complain about the car park progress made here by Waitrose.
To quote you from your above replies
"Apart from the on-street parking restrictions requested in this petition what is really needed is investment in new or extended off-street parking."
As you readily agree, there is a lack of parking in the village, so can we assume you will be against these on street parking restrictions until there are more adequate car parks.
To support the residents petition will only exacerbate the problem.
Of course we all know that the real reason for the petition is NIMBYism.