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City car parks could close

30 September, 2011

TRADERS have raised fears about plans to scrap 500 parking spaces in central Winchester.

The target is likely to appear in the new Town Access Plan, which is being drafted by city council transport chiefs. While green groups have welcomed it, traders are worried that it might drive shoppers away.

Winchester Action on Climate Change came to meet the city’s Business Improvement District on Tuesday (September 27).

Winacc said pollution in Winchester was too high and not fallen for several years. It added that cutting the amount of cars in the city, especially those driving straight through it, would help. Mike Slinn, who chairs Winacc’s transport group, said: “The idea is to reduce all this traffic that’s coming through the city and manage it in a better way.” He added that one proposal was to scrap the one-way system along North Walls, Friarsgate and St George’s Street. He said better signposts would also be useful to divert through-traffic away from the city centre. Hundreds of Winchester parking spaces should also be removed because many were empty, he added. Even at peak times less than 70 per cent were full, and Winchester’s park and ride sites were often more than half empty, he said.

Council head of access and infrastructure, Andy Hickman, said: “We do accept there is an air quality issue in the city.” He added: “We do believe there is quite a lot of traffic going through the city that doesn’t need to.” Mr Hickman is working on the Town Access Plan, which could include removing 500 parking spaces. He said that would be roughly 15 per cent of city centre capacity, but it was too early to say which spaces might go. Most bays at the Upper Brook Street car park are likely to make way for a health centre, he said, but no other closures had been agreed.

BID executive director Chris Turner then took up Winacc’s idea to close three car parks at the Andover Road and Worthy Lane junction. If some parking remained there, it could be a good site for commerce, he said. However, he said many city centre car parks were busy and spaces should not be removed.

BID chairman Tony Whyman of Childhood’s Dream in Southgate Street said 77 per cent of Winchester visitors arrived by car. He added that a surplus of spaces was needed to ensure they could park easily.

Karen Hawes, who represents the Brooks Shopping Centre, said: “Once people come into the city and find they can’t park they won’t come back and they’ll go to Southampton.”

Paul Lewis of Your Life Your Style in the Brooks Centre was worried about scrapping the one-way system. He said: “If a delivery van stops at the moment it holds up the traffic, but if it was two-way everything would just come to a standstill.”

After the meeting, Winchester Friends of the Earth spokesman Chris Gillham welcomed the proposed cut in parking. He said: “I think removing 500 spaces is a good first move and in a sense it’s well overdue. “However, the city council is not going to solve its air quality problems until the overall level of traffic comes down.” He added that FoE was generally against one-way systems, so they would be happy if the one in Winchester was scrapped.

http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/9280225.City_car_parks_could_close/