The Amersham Society
The Amersham Society
Campaigns

Resist the Parking Threat to Old Amersham!

Published

Residents in Whielden Street have received a letter from Bucks County Council about proposals, the effect of which would be to

Remove 36% of the free parking spaces in Whielden St

by converting 19 of them to pay-&-display spaces

Full details of the proposal can found at:

 www.buckscc.gov.uk/about-your-council/have-your-say/

then click on "current consultations" followed by “Whielden St …”

Residents elsewhere in the Old Town have NOT been consulted, but the loss of free spaces in Whielden Street will make parking more difficult everywhere.

Is it coincidence that this all happened over the Christmas/New year period?

Please add your voice of protest and stop this creeping ‘meterisation’.

Did you know?

There are currently about 53 free parking spaces in Whielden Street. This proposal will reduce the number of free spaces by 36% leaving just 34 for residents and their visitors plus of course all the customers of the shops, restaurants, pub, bed-and-breakfast accommodation – and the hospital. This will have a huge knock-on effect to homes and businesses in the High Street, Market Square and Broadway.

It is a revenue-raising move by Bucks County Council offering no advantage to residents, businesses or visitors.

 

How to register your protest

Send your objections to Trish Eastham:

  • by e-mail: peastham@buckscc.gov.uk, or
  • by letter: Bucks County Council, Place Service, New County Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1UY

You should:

  • quote reference number 141211SWP;
  • state your objections;
  • do it before the 16th January 2015.

Your objections might include some or all of the following:

  • the failure to seek the views of ALL residents in the Old Town despite the fact all be affecte
  • given the demands from restaurants, shops, the pub, bed-&-breakfast accommodation etc, this will make the position of residents worse;
  • it makes no sense to control parking in just one part of the town;
  • it would seriously inconvenience you and your visitors;
  • contrary to the stated aims in the letter received by Whielden Street residents, it fails to harmonise parking in the area;
  • contrary to the stated aims on the Bucks CC web site, it will discourage use of public transport by residents;
  • visitors to residences in The Platt at present can park on Whielden Street, they will under this scheme most likely have to park two streets away- an unreasonable distance from any residence;
  • residents of Whielden Street returning home in the evenings would be likely to end up in the pay-and-display spaces and have to get up early to move their vehicles in the morning, adding to traffic congestion in the morning;
  • the town provides free parking for low paid shop and restaurant workers. Without such parking the employees might not be able to afford to take the jobs and so the mixed business environment will become a restricted environment that can only support high paid jobs and leave the town with retail premises boarded up;
  • the proposed scheme would undermine the volunteer run street cleaning protocols whereby the Amersham Society coned the street and persuaded residents to move their cars on the days Serco were to clean the streets;
  • one group of residents in the Old Town are being asked to shoulder an additional burden.

You could also:

  • make sure your neighbours are aware of the issue;
  • let us know your suggestions;
  • write to your County Councillor, David Schofield (Penn Wood and Old Amersham), dschofield@buckscc.gov.uk;
  • contact the Amersham Town Council’s Town Clerk, townclerk@amersham-tc.gov.uk .

Please copy your objections to George Allison or Peter Borrows, below, so we can keep you up to date on any developments.

The Amersham Society has already:

  • protested about
  • the inadequate ‘informal consultation’ by BCC (they claim it was carried out from February-April 2013);
  • the piecemeal approach to one area which will affect everywhere else;
  • demanded:
  • that the consultation be withdrawn;
  • to see responses to the informal consultation;
  • contacted:
  • the BCC Cabinet Member for Transportation;
  • county councilors;
  • district councilors;
  • town councilors;
  • Cheryl Gillan MP;
  • local newspapers;
  • Established a working group to coordinate Amersham Society protests.