Local businesses and regular visitors to the village are bracing themselves for parking chaos and a drop in footfall as the car park at The Parade is now closed until Thursday 12th June, taking 53 short term spaces out of use.
Alderley Edge Parish Council requested that Cheshire East Council allow the playing field on Chorley Hall Lane to be used during this period for free temporary parking. Following an inspection by Marianne Hodgkinson and Kathy Swindells from Cheshire East Council this suggestion has been declined.
Cllr Frank Keegan explained "It was too wet, would have cost too much to protect and would have been an unsupervised area, open to the wider public outside of retail hours. It was a good idea, but under close inspection it was impractical."
Waitrose, whose new store will be more than double the size of the existing shop, has been criticised by some local business owners for not supplying alternative temporary parking whilst the work is being carried out and for allowing their contractors to take up a number of parking spaces at both South Street car park and the car park off Ryleys Lane each day - making it impossible for people to park at either location by 9 o'clock in the morning.
Kristina Hulme, owner of Travel by Design, has purchased an annual parking permit for the South Street car park but in recent weeks has found it impossible to find a space.
She said "It is very frustrating when I cannot get into the car park on South Street for which I pay a large annual fee to park and it's only a few minutes before 9 in the morning. Twice this week I have had to almost abandon my car in order to open up my premises."
Whilst Emma Mason, Manager at The Bubble Room, has resorted to asking her husband to drive her in to work as she has found it impossible to find a space in recent weeks.
Emma said "While most of my staff live locally and are able to walk, some have to drive from quite a distance due to a lack of regular public transport - particularly late at night. If these staff start later than 9am - they cannot park in the South Street carpark because it is full.
"We used to then park in the Festival Hall car park which is now private - which leaves only 1-2 hour bays - completely useless for businesses. Whilst it's important for visitors and customers to be able to park there seems to be no allowance made for workers at all.
"Now that the waitrose car park is closed we are expecting really quiet daytime trade as customers find it hard to park and get everything they need in just one hour."
James Howard, Parking Services Manager at Cheshire East Council, confirmed at a recent meeting of Alderley Edge traders that, under the terms of the lease, Waitrose has the right to close the car park to do work on the supermarket whenever they need to do it and there is no requirement for them to provide alternative parking.
To help address the problem of contractors taking up parking spaces in the village centre each day, Waitrose has secured alternative parking for their contractors at The Edge Hockey Club on Wilmslow Road.
A Waitrose spokesperson, said: "It is necessary to close the Parade car park in front of our store until 12th June so works to improve the branch can be completed in a safe manner. To ensure as many spaces as possible are available in the neighbouring car parks during this time, we have reached an agreement for our staff and contractors to park elsewhere. We thank residents, businesses and our customers for their patience."
Concern has also been raised over where the additional 45 members of staff will park once the new store opens, to which Waitrose has responded that "while we have created 45 new jobs in the branch, these are to cover additional shifts, and they will not be on site at one time."
The new Waitrose store and Parade car park will both reopen at 7am on Thursday 12th June.
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I also inspected the field and I disagree with CEC about the field being too wet. It is only wet in places. Apparently it wasn't too wet when used for the May Fair parking, for the last two years!
As to fears that people might park there for a long time (travelers?); the only barrier at the moment is a flimsy wooden gate that is not usually padlocked!
I would like to know who at CEC turned down the idea?
It is kind of the Edge Hockey Club to use their car park for contractors; in case you are wondering, they have been approached in the past (I believe) re. letting the general public use some of their car park during the working day, but that has never been adjudged possible.
might you provide me with a little salt, to flavour my hat?
Perhaps machinations is a little over-fierce? I know one of the two lady Officers who inspected and she's honest and I've exchanged emails with the other lady, who seems efficient etc. Hence my question as to who exactly said 'no' to the idea.
The reasons given for not allowing parking around the field were:
1. unsuitable ground conditions
2. unaffordable costs
3. annual maintenance reinstatement ground works.