Arnside Parish Council » 2003/08/11 -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 8/11/2003
Last Visited: 11/16/2007
This information had been advised to the Council by Mr Nick Raymond, Area Engineer for Cumbria County Council.In a separate communication about Station Road, Mr Raymond had mentioned that the proposal for a car park to be established via the old Station Yard, would be unlikely to proceed.Both of these pieces of information had caused Members to express anger that such matters should be summarily dismissed, when there is such a desperate need for parking problems to be resolved.County Councillor Ian Stewart had been contacted and he too expressed anger that officers of the County Council should see fit to overrule decisions made by elected Members.Cllr Stewart has promised to take up the matter at 'the highest level', as a matter of urgency.
The Chairman also reminded Members that Mr Raymond had written to this Council on 10th July, promising to arrange a meeting about the problems of parking on Station Road, with various interested parties, including representatives of Network Rail, within "the next three to four weeks".As the maximum of four weeks has now passed, the Clerk had contacted Mr Raymond by e-mail, only to be advised that "I am currently on leave but hope to arrange a meeting for the week commencing 25th August".Councillor Keefe added that he has been at some pains to assure members of the Parish Plan Steering Committee that the County Council is committed to addressing the problems of providing a car park to serve the south-bound platform of the Station, and to addressing the general traffic and parking problems.He mentioned that the Committee had been keen to recommend that the Parish Council should commission a RoSPA traffic survey, but that this suggestion had been set aside, on the basis of the understanding that the County Council survey would be conducted this year.On learning of the announcements by Mr Raymond, he felt not only let down, but very angry that he and the members of the Committee, should have been deceived over such a pressing matter.Members expressed their disgust with Mr Raymond's handling of these matters and directed that a strongly-worded letter of complaint be sent to the Leader of the County Council.