Post by disgruntledretailer on Mar 28, 2018 4:30:24 GMT
Hi ,
My name is Paul Gisbourne and as owner of one of , if not the longest running independent business in town ,this year being my 47th, I feel eminently qualified to make the following observations that imho have and are constituting in the gradual and total breakdown of Atherstone as a retail outlet providing shoppers with ample parking facilities.....
Putting aside the lack of variety of shops in the town although a recent addition on the old Coop site has improved things slightly it appears that if you require a haircut , some food and drink and the feel good factor of aiding charity then Atherstone is your Mecca ......That is if you can find a parking space !!!
Re parking there are numerous factors ....
1/ I have attended many Chamber of Trade and the like meetings over the years and have long gone against the populous in favour of free parking in the town ...which is fine ...if you can find a space !!! Pay and display sensibly priced to encourage short stay shoppers and a turnover of customer footfall is the aim of most if not all Town's and Cities ...Except Atherstone !Most car parks are full from 8 in the morning till 6 in the evening ....yet the Town can very often be very thin on the ground with shoppers .
2/ One of the biggest contributory factors to the parking imbalance especially near my premises in Coleshill Street is the advent of turning Atherstone into the ' Flat Dwellers Guide to the Galaxy ' Over recent years many new developments of flats have been introduced in the town without any need or legal requirement to provide any parking spaces on site for the residents ,whom to the best of my knowledge many work nights at TNT or Aldi so their car or cars are parked , sometimes illegally , all day on the road , in the layby by me and the layby in Long Street ...Or in Coleshill Street on yellow lines clearly marked with long stay parking restrictions to the point where my delivery lorries cannot even get round the corner to deliver to my shop !! When approached , several of the occupants were informed by Arragont Properties that basically 'park where you like ' ( The Police inform me that A P deny doing this but mmmmmm ) and many a time I have been told 'It's ok I live in one of the flats ' Having researched the Highway Code I cannot find any exemption to parking restrictions on the public highway due to residing in a flat !!
There is a layby just past my shop that used to be Short stay 20 mins parking for up to 12 vehicles now it is 24 /7 long stay parking for Flat residents !!! Not only can I tell you the cars that park there , but the order that they park and their reg numbers !!
I have approached the council who say they realise there is a problem and are implementing the need for 1.4 parking spaces per flat for new developments ....Who has 0.4 of a car !! And to be fair this is 'Shutting the door after the horse has bolted , died of old age and is now organic fertilizer !!! The Police , whom I have to call numerously to try to remove illegally parked cars blocking access for my deliveries are very good ...but have better things to do !
In summation if you are still awake ...I am and its 5.26 am ...Who is actually in charge of monitoring parking in Atherstone ...has it been decriminalised yet ? Something I shall be lobbying both authorities to find out ...As obviously Double Yellow Lines and huge 'Keep Clear' in metre high letters isn't registering !!!
