THE ON-GOING SAGA OF THE CAR PARK

 

All was going reasonably well on our newly tarmaced and white lined Car Park, and then the yellow line man struck! In the nearby roads where hospital staff and visitors were wont to park and residents were wont to get hot under the collar (not just a clerical affliction!), in came the Highways Agency or was it the County Council, and along came the chaps with their painting machine. And hey presto streets free from nose to tail parking.

 

Thus a problem arises. Just because of yellow lines, people are not going to stop coming to work in their cars (well, not many of them), nor are the visitors and Out Patients suddenly going to plunge onto busses. No, the displacement theory comes into play; and it would seem over these last months many of the cars evicted from the now painted streets, have found their way onto the church Car Park. Who can blame them? A half empty (full!) car park in pristine condition, well, it is just begging to be used. And used it is. And do these illegal parkers as permission? No! Do they pay anything towards the thousands of pounds spent to refurbish the car park? No! Do they cause any obstruction? Yes! The mourners at the last four Funerals held at the church have struggled to find a place to park, and they have ended up double parking with all the difficulty that ensues from doing so. Funerals are sad and emotional enough without having the added problem of searching to park a car. And when illegal parkers are approached, often there is very little in the way of contrition and sometimes a belligerence that anyone would have the temerity to challenge them.

 

How to deal with this and make the car park a place were only bona fide parishioners attending church Services can park? Reluctantly, the Fabric & Finance Group have ordered signs to be erected warning of the possibility of illegal parkers being clamped. Perhaps this threat will do the trick but the threat can and will be turned into action if the asset continues to be misused.

 

Perhaps it is time once again for the Hospital to approach the Planning Authority for permission to build a multi-storey on sight car park?