Co-op parking debate – the enforcement issue

Local resident Geoff Smethurst has contacted both the C&NBC planners and Ken Maple about the parking issues outside the new Co-op, particularly when there is a delivery.

Ros Ellison, one of the planners at the council, confirms "that a condition of the planning permission for the development requires a service area to be provided at the rear of the premises for delivery vehicles prior to the commencement of use of the shops and to be retained for parking/ turning." She says she will ask the Enforcement Officer/ Compliance Officer to investigate this matter further.

PC Ken Maple has also repled to Geoff's email. Amongst other comments he says he has e-mailed Dave Chan from Cheshire Highways to ask whether

there are any plans for parking controls in the area but hasn't had a reply yet. (We will publish his reply when, or if, it is ever available)

Ken also says: "I've been in to the Co-op and spoken to the management about the

problem. Their response was as expected. They said that the long term

plan was for delivery vehicles to go through the archway and around the

back of the store, but that this was not possible yet because the road was

not complete at the back. I had a look around the back and quickly formed

the opinion that only small vehicles would be able to gain access to that

area, and then only if there were no vehicles parked in the residents'

parking spaces.

"Whilst I was surveying the scene I also spoke to the first

resident of the flats above the Co-op about the issue. He told me he'd

been assured by the Muller sales people that the Co-op would not be making

deliveries at the back!"

Perhaps the enforcement officer should be having some words with Muller Developments. Many in the village sensed that the delivery trucks would never go under the archway. This comment tends to confirm that suspicion. It will be interesting to see how much impact the planners will have. By giving planning permission, they have worsened the village's traffic problems. But will they do anything? More on this issue as it comes in.

Photo: Philip Hesketh

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