At last! Wilmslow Parking Review final report is published

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Cheshire East Council has completed a comprehensive review of parking in Wilmslow.

The findings of the Wilmslow Parking Review will inform the future approach to parking management, provision and pricing, as part of a wider transport strategy for the town.

The review has been informed by on-site investigations, census data; correspondence received by the Council and on-street parking surveys.

Public consultation took place between January and March 2019, with over 500 formal responses received by the Council. These have all been analysed to inform the final report.

A set of proposals to address parking issues in Wilmslow has been developed. In the short term, actions will include developing a business case for a multi-storey car park at Broadway Meadow and new parking restrictions on Alderley Road (Coach & Four to King's Arms Roundabout.)

A parking strategy for Wilmslow requires a clear delivery sequence to avoid shifting problems from one part of Wilmslow to another. In total, 47 management measures have been identified. These are sequenced into short, medium and longer term opportunities.

The Wilmslow Parking Review Final Report and the Interventions Map are available to view online.

All measures require further work regarding funding and statutory approvals, including further public consultation. A new multi-storey car park could take several years to complete, based on a business case which will be completed in the coming months

Priorities will be delivered through the Council's annual processes for setting budgets and programmes.

wilmslow.co.uk wanted to let our readers know as soon as we were made aware of the publication (thanks Cllr David Jefferay) but have not had the chance to read it all yet.

When you get the chance to rad through it do share your views regarding the proposals via the comment box below.

Tags:
Car Parking Review, Cheshire East Council
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Beatrice Turler
Wednesday 4th March 2020 at 5:30 pm
It's a bit galling when your road (with a parking problem on a blind bend) is hidden by one of the explanatory panels on the map. We're not even on the map and we don't count.
Erik Garner
Thursday 5th March 2020 at 7:55 am
Well it’s a start. The worst parking problem is on Buckingham Road and Bourne Street. I feel so sorry for the residents there.
A multi storey is a must but they are saying it will take several years to build. That has to be a priority. The reason that Royal London are pulling out of Wilmslow is down to the fact that they were denied permission to build a car park on spare land opposite their offices. The council isn’t serious about solving this escalating problem is it? Talk is cheap. Let’s see some immediate action.
Veronica Croston
Thursday 5th March 2020 at 4:43 pm
Yellow Lines at the junction of Oaklands close will make a Nightmare School parking leaves no parking at all for Residents. Parking signs always Ignored by the school run.
David Jefferay
Friday 6th March 2020 at 2:05 pm
HI Erik, the carpark is priority and the funding for its design has been approved and will hopefully kick off next month (new financial year). The build is actually relatively quick, but before that it has to be designed, go through the planning permission process, which could be troublesome and take at least a year, and there will need to be a procurement process (because it's public money so contract award needs to be transparent) hence the "several years" for the project.
On Royal London, the site has (outline) planning permission for new offices including 1100 parking spaces. Their decision to move was immediately after the site was included as a strategic site in the local plan and planning gain was more or less guaranteed. You can draw your own conclusions on that.
Pete Taylor
Friday 6th March 2020 at 6:44 pm
There have been signs outside Royal London continually, for perhaps 25 years, advertising offices to rent; it seems they simply cannot fill them.

They are now seeking permission to build more speculative (empty?) offices PLUS they are vacating all of their own current offices! Presumably CEC will be asking very serious questions before giving full consent for any more building on this site?

The previous iteration of CEC were hoodwinked by threats to move the business; gave consent, then the company announced that they were pulling out in any case.

Perhaps consent should be given for the car park but not for the offices?
Manuel Golding
Monday 9th March 2020 at 10:17 am
Wilmslow needs to take the all-day car parkers off from the town's residential roads.What concerns me is that yellow-line syndrome merely moves the parked cars to another location, thus creating a new set of homeowners suffering. Before the yellow-line restrictions take effect, CEC should be considering alternate short term parking solutions; I suggest making use of the soon to be vacant Royal London site - it has adequate parking facilities for a large number of vehicles. This could be enforced by a temporary "compulsory short term enforcement order" for the site which must include adequate signage etc directing car parkers together with other elements to discourage further parking mayhem that will result in new locations.
Charlie Cook
Wednesday 11th March 2020 at 4:09 pm
Nice to see some proposals, but most seem to be ‘review after long stay implemented’, which, if it means the much needed multistorey car park, is going to be a further delay for several years.
John Duckworth
Wednesday 11th March 2020 at 7:01 pm
Royal London is a major problem in our town when it comes to all-day parkers there are now 15 cars parked outside the entrance to the site plus the laybys outside the Kings Arms total approx 50 cars per day. Why are they now saying they will provide 1100 spaces - ok then provide them now.

It really is simple they should enable parking on-site now - if they are unable to provide parking then they should at their cost provide parking, it's not the council's problem.

To some extent, I agree with Manuel Goulding that these all-day parkers will cause inconvenience elsewhere. But there is a solution.

I am sure lots of residents would pay for a residents-only parking license, for example on Buckingham Road limit parking to 2 hours in conjunction with the residents parking licence, the only inconvenience would be to the all-day parkers.

This could be spread out to other roads as and when necessary - the cost to provide notices would be relatively low. All that is necessary is quick action, not having to wait months and years to implement as now. The council should be given powers to act quickly how they go about it is up to them - just get it done.

In conclusion, ALL businesses in Wilmslow should provide parking facilities how they achieve this is up to them possibly by an allowance to there staff.

Residents First Please.
Pete Taylor
Wednesday 11th March 2020 at 9:13 pm
@ John Duckworth, I'm obliged for your contribution, you make valid points but perhaps you are not aware that this situation has been building for the past twenty/thirty years? Royal London and the previous site owners, ever since Refuge Insurance moved in, have not taken the slightest interest in how much their operation has inconvenienced the local population.
Unfortunately the previous Council administrations, Wilmslow BC , Macclesfield and Cheshire County Council were all too happy to attend slap-up feeds and photo-opportunities (check out the internet, folks) in order to protect our "largest employer". Unfortunately, the vast majority of their employees live outside Wilmslow and have, therefore, to find some means of getting here. The rail connections have failed, compared to where they were when Refuge moved in; the bus service is a but a fraction of what it was and... now we find that Royal London are moving out; having created all this madness!

For the past 22 years, at least, Royal London (and their predecessors) have been advertising vacant office space on their site. They have never filled it, they have obtained outline permission to build more offices and houses, they will transfer their operation leaving yet more vacant offices.

When the previous Cheshire East majority Councillors were desperate (at their second attempt) to push through the utterly-flawed Local Plan the local (Conservative, naturally) as they are bank-rolled by a "well-known local developer" Councillors fell over themselves to push this through.

At the present moment the sites on both sides of Alderley road remain flooded. Yet again.

The (approximately 50) neighbours who purchased their properties with enduring Covenants which forbade construction of buildings of any kind, "for all time" are at a loss to know how to proceed; big money, evidently speaks loudest.
Pete Taylor
Thursday 12th March 2020 at 6:26 am
The BBC is reporting this morning that the Government is looking to ban parking on pavements; whilst this at first appears to be an excellent initiative, the rule of unintended outcomes might come into play and create an even bigger parking problem. A blanket ban is most probably not a good option and there is a need for a street by street feasibility survey.
How this will be paid for is a mystery; the councils have the funding black hole and the current number of "Community Enforcement Officers" (parking wardens) don't seem to be able even to keep the centre of Wilmslow free of pavement parkers.