Calne Town Councillor Jeremy Percy, has voiced his concerns of a possible parking catastrophe in Calne, if the new owners of the Co-Op site close public access to the car park at the bottom of The Pippin.
With the news this week that the former Co-Op site is about to be sold on to new buyer, concerns have been raised that Calne town could soon face a severe shortage of parking with far reaching consequences for the entire town.
The site is being sold on to new owners, who are a family-owned business with a portfolio of healthcare premises. As part of a requirement of the sale, the site has to be in 'vacant possession' which means no unauthorized vehicles will be allowed on the property.
This means that the remaining open parts of the site have already begun to be fenced off including the carpark to the north side of the River Marden at the bottom of the Pippin and it is believed that access will be locked off in a week's time.
Currently parked vehicles will be able to exit the car park, but further parking will be strictly prohibited and messages have been placed on any vehicles that haven't been moved recently.
This means that approximately 60 vehicles will be without any parking which will inevitably cause even more mayhem to a town already struggling with traffic congestion.
Cllr Percy told us: "With the immediate closure of the Co-Op site at the bottom of The Pippin to all public access [with no prior notice to anyone], little effort has been made to consider where the current 60 plus vehicles a day currently using the area will be able to find parking in Calne.
"The Town Council has no legal obligation to provide parking and Wiltshire County Council are issuing no new permits for the Church Street car park. With Sainsburys having control of the remaining parking spaces in the area, there are going to be a great many drivers looking for parking spaces that are simply not there.
"The impact on the town, already subject to traffic issues will be considerable, for both residents and those seeking to park on a daily basis. The Pippin itself is already busy with resident’s vehicles as are other surrounding roads.
"Charity shop volunteers are likely to be priced out of their work if they are forced to pay daily parking charges and the costs to residents and others would be significant even if they were able to find a parking space.
"We can only hope that the company who now owns the site and those seeking to purchase it will recognise the community value of the site as a parking area for residents and town centre workers and continue to allow parking for the time being and in advance of the current town traffic study being organised by the town council.
"It would also of course avoid alienating a significant sector whose support for the development plans may well be tainted if they are shut out from a currently unused open space."
Calne Town Council have approached the new owners in a bid to enter discussions about interim and future plans for the site.
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