Business owners' fears over Market Place plans

5:11am Wednesday 16th January 2013 in Headlines By Elizabeth Kemble

RESTAURANT owners in Salisbury Market Place are objecting to plans to rid the city centre of its car park saying it will “without doubt” have a damaging effect on business and jobs in the area.

The square is set to become completely pedestrianised, with new toilet facilities, lighting and seating also to be installed during work due to start in March.

But business owners say the loss of the car park could have a devastating effect on the vitality of the city centre and that there hasn’t been enough consultation.

They also raised fears about the future of other city centre car parks.

Stephen Dauwalder of La Mollina said: “This decision is being railroaded through by a select number of local politicians who, to me, demonstrate very little understanding of the area yet want to dictate to it.” There is agreement that the Market Place needs refurbishment but business owners fear that removing car parking will be detrimental to trade.

Stoby’s fish and chip shop owner Leuene Jackman said the car park was vital for the city centre, providing quick and easy access to shops and restaurants.

She said: “It brings a lot of people into the city because of the convenience. In the evenings Salisbury takes on another life, especially on Fridays and Saturdays as there are a number of nightclubs and people don’t like walking through the city for obvious reasons.”

The final decision on the work in New Canal and the Market Place, which is due to start in a few weeks, rests with Wiltshire Council cabinet member Dick Tonge.

Salisbury Area Board chairman Richard Clewer said: “The Market Place design was approved in August and before that we tried very hard to get the restaurant owners engaged.

“There was a working group set up and people knocked on every door to get their views – for them to say that they were not involved in the consultation is just not fair.”

He said the Traffic Regulation Order relating to the Market Place was advertised on large posters in the area.

Cllr Clewer added that although there are plans to remove other car parks at Salt Lane and Brown Street in the original Salisbury Vision documents, this would not happen without lengthy consultation.

• THE decision to remove disabled parking from the Market Place will not be reviewed after cllr Clewer used his casting vote. Cllr Clewer argued the area board had approved everything in August and that extra spaces for blue badge holders were being provided close by. Salisbury’s Knitters 4 Justice took their knitting to the meeting to protest against the plans.

Comments(12)

hillyanne says...
9:10am Wed 16 Jan 13

I would have thought the opposite.If I had a restaurant there,I'd prefer my clients to look out on a nice ,open(leafy?) square rather than rows of parked cars.Also a chance to put out more tables and parasols,continental
-style. A nice ,short walk after the meal to the car-park is beneficial,actually.

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jjmcchesney says...
10:41am Wed 16 Jan 13

Not to worry... councillors will still be able to park outside the guild hall, so why should they give a toss about Stoby's business dying out...?

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Richard Clewer says...
12:02pm Wed 16 Jan 13

I want to be quite clear that no Councillors will still be able to park outside the Guildhall. At the moment there is some parking there used by City Councillors, that will all be going as well. There will be no parking in the Market or Guildhall Sqare. This was the view of the majority of the 1,500 people who responded to our consultation survey, of every meeting of the Market Place Working Group where it was discussed and at the Area Board where the decisions were made in August.

Duing the daytime, more people will be attracted to the Squares, we will be able to put events on all year around to bring people in and providing the weather is good people will be able to enjoy the view and get more use out of the squares. This should benefit those restaurants based on the square. In the evening there will not be parking either. There is lots of alternate parking in the city which is not full during the evenings so there is no reason to stop people comming into the city. People will however be able to enjoy eating out in the square without the sound of parking traffic and fumes that generates.

Richard Clewer, Wiltshire Councillor St Pauls Ward, Chair Salisbury Area Board.

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_Misi_ says...
1:55pm Wed 16 Jan 13

I really hope this scheme can actually happen, I think a lot of people have maybe got used to the stunning range of beautiful buildings around the square and perhaps don't see it any more, it is easy to just park and rush off looking down at the tar-mac heading for the shops. Instead of being a huge tar-mac car park, if it had little Yorkstone cobbles, mixed surfaces, aesthetically laid out benches and trees with people sitting out eating al-fresco, offering a tourist photo backdrop - then I would imagine any plan to turn it back into a carpark would rightly generate far more protest. I think this scheme should be applauded for giving the town a place to walk contemplate and to have a visually enjoyable heart outside the Cathedral Close. The endless pandering to the car has ruined so much of Britain, this small square is showcase for treating people rather than their cars to something really special.
Mike Resident of Salisbury

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rantone says...
6:06pm Wed 16 Jan 13

A good comment Misi ( Mike Resident of Salisbury). Your scenic impression appears a lot like what was originally planned! However, the Market remains on Tuesday and Saturday, and this is also something special! Lorries+fumes, but also fresh goods+traditional shopping! The blue-badge owners who drive or are brought into the city really do have to now consider which route to take. Depending on mobility and the type of transport used will then select the parking space to suit. Just hope that this is well signposted. More coffee/cafe shops proposed and if they all have 'outside' seating then this can in places be a problem, even for the able, to manoeuvre around. Perhaps Mr Clewer will recommend free parking around the streets from 6.00pm, and ease the tasks of the Parking Wardens/Ambassadors. Which other towns in Wiltshire has parking ambassadors patrolling in the evening including spaces like the Guildhall. The rest of the market square parking area is free after 6.00pm, therefore clarification on the parking rules at present for the Guildhall Square is required. All WC councillors and WC staff have parking permits to use in all the WC carparks at all times, including the Guildhall Square along with WC service vans and the Wiltshire Police. When Mr Clewer attends the occasional meeting at the City Hall or Guildhall the pass is used. Of course the pass should never be used on private visits to the city!! Perhaps the parking wardens could comment on the use that elected councillors make of the parking pass! City Councillors only have passes for the evening for Salisbury Council meetings as otherwise WC traffic wardens would book them for parking in their own car park and working on behalf of the residents of the City!

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Helen Farmer says...
9:42pm Wed 16 Jan 13

RC said above "There will be no parking in the Market or Guildhall Sqare. This was the view of the majority of the 1,500 people who responded to our consultation survey,"

54% of those who responded to Cllr Clewers suvey said they wanted Disabled Parking kept in the Market Square. FACT.

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J Kraft says...
10:22pm Wed 16 Jan 13

Mr Clewer 'said the Traffic Regulation Order relating to the Market Place was advertised on large posters in the area'

Really? a few A4 size notices, wrapped around lamposts in the corners of the car parks can hardly be described as large posters.

None of the people I spoke to last week, (and I was there on four days) was aware of the plans to close the car parks.

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Richard Clewer says...
10:43am Thu 17 Jan 13

I wanted to follow up on a couple of the comments here. Firstly while I do have a parking permit for use when I am on Wiltshire Council Buinsess, I have never used it to park in the Market Square car park. I have once picked up some tables and chairs from the Guildhall (for the Queens visit last year) and that is the only time I have ever driven into the Guildhall Square. You can argue the rights and wrongs of Councillors having parking permits, personally I think it makes sense for us to have them for use on Council Business, it is much less complicated that having a process for Councillors to pay for parking and then claim it back.

I would entirely agree that we should wave parking restrictions on the streets in the City Centre after 6pm. I occasionaly work in Paris (at trade shows) and their system of waving parking from Friday evening to Monday morning works well. I have not however found that many of my colleagues on Wiltshire or Salisbury City Councils agree. I have not for example been able to get the City Council to request that traffic wardens stop ticketing people on Fisherton Street in the evening.

Helen's comment about disabled parking is accurate but only tells one part of the story. From the survey 61% of people want the Market Place to be a pedestrian only zone. 31% disagreed. 66% of people thought disabled parking could be put in roads on and near the Market Square. We are increasing the number of disabled places from 12 to 22 in the Market Place vicinity. We are carrying out the views of the public in the best way we can.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Clewer

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_Misi_ says...
11:05am Thu 17 Jan 13

Regarding the comment on market day ruined by lorry fumes. It is my understanding that the traders were consulted on the idea of moving vehicles away from the market square after unloading and parking nearby but off the square until time to unpack. They mostly didn't like this idea, which I guess is understandable from their point of view, but does seem a bit of a shame.

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J Kraft says...
10:25pm Thu 17 Jan 13

Maybe we could have the actual wording of the survey, together with the results, printed in the Journal next week. Then we can all analyse what the people of Salisbury have actually said, and see whether or not the wording of the Survey was ambiguous.

In any case, just asking the general public if they think it's ok to remove all disabled parking from the Guildhall square, and replace it with more parking on the surrounding roads, would sound reasonable, unless you were aware of the law (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010) and also had some experience or empathy with the needs of people with mobility impairment.

I note that RC declined to comment on the size and location of the TRO notices!

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Helen Farmer says...
12:12am Fri 18 Jan 13

RC says: "I would entirely agree that we should wave parking restrictions on the streets in the City Centre after 6pm."

Really cllr Clewer? You advocate that Wiltshire Council should wave parking restrictions and so allow parking on double yellow lines, 'no loading marks', loading bays & blue badge bays from 6pm?

RC:"I occasionaly work in Paris (at trade shows) and their system of waving parking from Friday evening to Monday morning works well"

Waving parking what? charges or restrictions?

As someone who drives in France, Cllr Clewer will no doubt be aware that in France there is virtually no abuse of Blue Badge bays due to both signage which reads "TAKE MY SPACE - TAKE MY DISABILITY" and the fact that both on and off street, unlawful use of a BB bay is punished by both a fine and penalty points on the driving licence of any EU member.

It's a shame the same isn't true of Salisbury. Anyone who has tried to find a Blue Badge bay in Salisbury in the evening (outside Tesco, in the GH Square, near MacDonalds or the Cinema, on Catherine Street, or near Burger King on New Canal) will tell you that between 7pm and midnight they are usually taken, and more often than not by a 'Bay Abuser'.

Parking Ambasadors patrolling in Salisbury until 8pm, has made almost no difference in this respect. The 'turn a blind eye for 10 minutes' policy on disabled bay enforcement, which is used by these Wiltshire Council employed 'Ambassadors', allows virtually unchecked misuse, by those who are 'just nipping to..

Quite apart from the revenue they could be getting in fines, Wiltshire Council has obligation to ensure that BB spaces are not just provided, but AVAILABLE when NEEDED.

These bays are not provided because it is 'easier' for disabled people, or because disabled people 'are too lazy to walk' (as one ill informed local resident recently suggested), but because those who are entitled to a Blue Badge are UNABLE to walk to the shops and services they wish to access, from anywhere other than these special bays.

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karlmarx says...
6:44pm Fri 18 Jan 13

_Misi_ wrote:
I really hope this scheme can actually happen, I think a lot of people have maybe got used to the stunning range of beautiful buildings around the square and perhaps don't see it any more, it is easy to just park and rush off looking down at the tar-mac heading for the shops. Instead of being a huge tar-mac car park, if it had little Yorkstone cobbles, mixed surfaces, aesthetically laid out benches and trees with people sitting out eating al-fresco, offering a tourist photo backdrop - then I would imagine any plan to turn it back into a carpark would rightly generate far more protest. I think this scheme should be applauded for giving the town a place to walk contemplate and to have a visually enjoyable heart outside the Cathedral Close. The endless pandering to the car has ruined so much of Britain, this small square is showcase for treating people rather than their cars to something really special. Mike Resident of Salisbury
"if it had little Yorkstone cobbles, mixed surfaces, aesthetically laid out benches and trees with people sitting out eating al-fresco, offering a tourist photo backdrop"

If we had the climate to go with that plan then yes, let's go with it.
However, I haven't noticed anyone sitting outside eating al-fresco recently, could it have something to do with the -4C and the snow or the 2nd wettest summer on record?

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