In mid-August Shropshire Council launched yet another consultation on the new parking regime. As is normal these days, the council decided not to announce the consultation, just put it on a back page of its website.
The council’s plans to double the cost of a resident parking permit to £100 a year. Each household will only be allowed one permit.
I confess I missed this one. The consultation was slipped out on 16 August, the day I shook hands with the new owner of the former Budgens store. I told him that local artists wanted to paint a mural. He said, “fine”. It has taken up a lot of my time since – but that’s great. I hope you will all want to come to applaud when we finish.
The latest parking consultation was launched without any fanfare, not so much as a press release or even an email to Shropshire Councillors. That seems to be the normal practice for Shropshire Council these days. Ludlow’s Mayor Tim Gill mentioned the consultation in passing yesterday and I realised I’d missed it.
The headlines are of the proposals are these. The cost of having an annual residents’ permit for Ludlow’s Red and Blue Zones will double to £100. Only one permit will be allowed for each property. That’s a change from previous plans which were more flexible, allowing more than one permit providing the streets did not become too crowded.
Every property with a resident’s permit will be eligible for 200 hours of free parking for guests. Visitor permits will be available for residents that do not hold a residents’ permit at a cost of £5.
The consultation for on-street permits closes on 6 September.
In a separate consultation, the council is proposing that proprietor or manager of a hotel, guest house, bed and breakfast, self-catering or holiday let establishment can to apply for season tickets for use by their guests in Upper Galdeford and Smithfield car parks. There will be no guest permits for parking in the Castle Street car park or on-street. This consultation closes on 30 August.
Will visitors permits already purchased still be eligible for use?
Also surely if you don’t have a residents permit but are able to buy visitors permits, that is what the owners of holiday lets etc will do? thereby accessing on street parking.
My question to the councilors is simple.”What facilities and benefits will people paying these fees get extra for the money they are paying?”
Whilst the cost of the Residents Permits isn’t high, it is the only time I have ever had to pay for a residents parking permit without ANY dedicated Residents Permits Only spaces being allocated or an agreement that we may use the main car parks with our permits.