POTENTIAL sites for a new car park in Middleton-in-Teesdale are being explored by village councillors who say on-going parking issues are “killing” their village.
Parking has been a problem in the upper dale village for years but there are fears that it is getting worse and causing severe problems for residents, businesses and visitors.
Representatives from Durham County Council’s planning and highways
departments attended Middleton-in-Teesdale Parish Council’s monthly meeting last week to help address the problem. Cllr Lynn Oxby said: “We have a massive problem in Middleton with parking and we want to know how Durham County Council can help us solve it.”
Cllr Oxby, Cllr Adam Hearn and county councillor Ted Henderson drew up a list of 14 options for parking sites.
These include Jewitt’s Yard behind White Row, the field between Burn Bank and Hudeshope Beck, land currently planted as a hay meadow by St Mary’s Church, land behind Town End Farm and the allotment area to the west of Gas Lane.
However, the councillors made it clear during the meeting that these are just ideas.
No landowners have been approached yet but if and when they are they would have a right to reject the idea.
Durham County Council’s planning development manager, Stephen Reed, said: “We have to look at development opportunities to see where could be used for car parking.
“I think there will be options. There have been one or two sites looked at in the past where residents have raised objections. We would be more than happy to walk around the village with councillors to look at potential sites.”
Measures previously explored include the development of a car and coach park with housing to the west of Bridge Street, public parking in Middleton Auction Mart car park on non-sale days, as well as the introduction of time-limited parking restrictions around Chapel Row.
Lee Mowbray, from Durham County Council’s strategic traffic team, said: “Last time we looked at this was in 2014 and the problem was managing the existing space on the highway. There was a public consultation about two-hour parking restrictions but it was met with a storm of objections.”
Since 1999, the parish council has had an agreement with Middleton Sports and Social Club – it means the car park is available for long stay public parking from 8am to 6.30pm everyday. Short-stay parking is also encouraged at The Hill.
Parking at the Durham County Council owned Field Studies Centre did help ease the problems but this property has been sold so people won’t be able to park there.
Cllr John Miller said: “The village is crying out for a large car park that is not in the centre of the village but is only a few minutes’ walk away.”
Cllr Christine Gilbert said: “Commercially the village is killing itself because of the parking. We are losing businesses all the time.
“The positive with the new plans at the Field Studies Centre is that there are a lot of car parking spaces for it. At least they are not expecting people to park in the village.”
Those present at the meeting also heard how a fire engine had struggled to pass through the main street recently due to the number of parked cars on the road.
Mr Reed said: “I don’t think we own too much of the land on the peripheral of the village but we would be happy to assist. We need to find a landowner who might be interested in doing the good thing. It is a lovely part of the county so I think we would have to do something sensitive. We don’t want to spoil Middleton-in-Teesdale.It might take a few months or it might take a year or two to get there.”
It was agreed that a date would be fixed for parish councillors and Durham County Council representatives to take a walk around the village to come up with ideas.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.