Update. The cabinet agreed to introduce the holiday let parking scheme. Holiday lets across Ludlow town centre have been losing bookings because visitors cannot park nearby. Once told they would have to park in one of the public car parks, often some way away, they have booked somewhere else where parking is more convenient. On Monday, Shropshire Council’s cabinet will consider a recommendation to allow each holiday let a single on-street parking permit. The decision must be made by cabinet because Ludlow Town Council has objected to the move, saying a wider range of businesses should have been included. I disagree. This is a straightforward action that will help ensure the viability of holiday lets. These form a core part of Ludlow’s visitor economy. It will also promote access for people with physical and learning disabilities. Officers say this change would have little impact on parking in the town centre. […]
Tag: parking strategy 2017-18
Consultations on changes to car park residents permits and season tickets, also holiday let permits
Last September, Shropshire Council consulted on changes to the parking regime introduced in Ludlow in November 2018 and at various dates around the county. Now, it wants to introduce changes to permits for season tickets and residents permits. The changes are technical. They will increase flexibility and better suit local needs. The council is also consulting on providing on-street permits for holiday lets within Ludlow’s Blue and Red Zones.
Parking review now delayed until April!!
Confusion has reigned throughout the week over whether Shropshire Council would go ahead with its parking review at the Performance Management Scrutiny Committee yesterday afternoon. I had complained that the paperwork had not been published and there would be no time to study it and hold local discussions. Discussions led to me believing that the review would be delayed until the March meeting. But then I was told the review would go ahead as planned on Wednesday. There was still no paperwork. Just before 5pm on Tuesday, more than 130 pages of paperwork were quietly published. Before I had time to download them, Shropshire Council’s committee server went offline. There was no access to any committee papers until 11am the next morning. With the committee meeting beginning at 2pm, I could only skim read the papers while on the train to Shrewsbury. I needn’t have bothered.
Oh no it’s not. Oh yes it is! Shropshire Council descends into pantomime over review of parking charges
It seems barely a few moments ago since I published a statement from Shropshire Council that the long promised review of the impact of regime of parking charges introduced in November 2018 is to be delayed until March. That was based on an email from the Chief Monitoring Officer at 2:31pm. Alas, in the short time I was taking the dog and cat for a walk, all has changed. The Chief Monitoring Officer emailed at 3:35pm to say the review will take place as planned on Wednesday morning. There is no paperwork for this meeting. It will not be possible for unitary and town councillors to discuss what the council is planning beforehand, let alone the traders who are being penalised by the high street parking charges. Is Shropshire Council just trying to keep us guessing? Possibly. But I think it has just descended into chaos. It can no longer […]
Shropshire Council defers review of punitive parking charges in Ludlow until 18 March
A recent survey by Ludlow Town Council reported that more than half of independent traders in the town have seen a drop in footfall and turnover since the new parking regime came in in 2018. The annual review of the new parking regime was due to be discussed at the Performance Management Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday morning. But no paperwork has been published. None of us in Ludlow know what changes Shropshire Council is planning to make to this punitive parking regime that is punishing town centre trade at a time when high streets all over the country are struggling. I don’t know whether it is good news today or not. But the review of the parking strategy due on Wednesday morning has been delayed until 18 March. Why the paperwork is not ready I do not know. This review was due last November but the general election got in […]