Norman Road Parking: letter to Council
The following letter has been sent to Hastings Borough Council by SBA, regarding parking in Norman Road, (West side), and Crystal Square car park.
S.B.A.
St Leonards on Sea Business Association
Chairman- Bill Orton
Ortons The Butcher
11 Norman Road
St Leonards-on-Sea
East Sussex TN37 6NH
01424 420322
www.sba-online.co.uk
18th November 2009
Rasoul Shahilow
Head of Parking & Highways Aquila House
Breeds Place
Hastings
East Sussex TN34 3UY
Dear Rasoul
Parking in St Leonards – West Side Norman Road Si Crystal Square
On behalf of the St Leonards Business Association I have been asked to request that the one hour parking restriction on the west side of Norman Road be reviewed and adjusted to a two hour no return limit
Generally the one hour restriction on the eastern side of London Road including the east side of Norman Road is working well for businesses and customers alike. Silchester Road at two hours is also satisfactory, however the majority of the customers of the businesses in the west side of Norman Road need time to browse and find the one hour insufficient. The antique shops located here are gaining a wide reputation for the quality of their offer and attract customers to St Leonards from far afield. There have been numerous cases of these customers receiving fixed penalty notices which is a deterrent to them but these are exactly the type of customer the regeneration programme was designed to attract.
I believe that during various discussions with you on parking issues we have reached a consensus that parking is a vital element in creating a climate where business can flourish and therefore I hope you will be favourably responsive to this request.
At a meeting of the Business Association last evening concern was also expressed that Crystal Square car park is underutilised; this we believe is in part due to poor signage directing motorists to this amenity and there also seems to be confusion about the route to leave the car park. There have been cases of drivers trying to use South Street to access London Road. When the proposals to close the junction of Cross Street and London Road we did request that this needed more thought, but unfortunately the closure has happened without any further discussion with the Association.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the above issues with as a matter of urgency or at least your response to this letter as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely
Bill Orton Chairman
Cc Pranesh Data
King’s Road regeneration meeting
Update: 18/11/2009
Meeting TBA …….
South Street Parking
A member has asked:
“Can anyone shed some light on the future of Kennedys Gym in South street and the parking issues that are going with it. We have seen no planning applications to remove paking spaces or to enforce NO PARKING.”
Any info?
Norman Road Parking
Parking regulations changed in Norman Road a few months ago, basically limiting the wait to 1 hour, down from 2 hours.
The six month trial period will be ending soon and we would like some idea of how people have felt about this. Has it been good for trade, bad for trade, couldn’t tell? Have surrounding streets become more parked up, have residents found it harder to park: any answers and comments would be very welcome.
Please leave them below. Thanks.
(Or sign one of the petition forms in one of the shops on Norman Road.)
Kings Road, and Festival
It’s going to the wire, with nobody totally sure of whether the post will be pipped: will the Kings Road, (and London Road) roadworks be done in time for the festival?
The voices of officialdom, a bit muted for some, seem to indicate that things will be just fine. And, in the spirit of cooperation, of thinking the glass half full, we are all hoping for the best.
Here is a photo of the Kings Road on Friday afternoon, 3/7/09, showing that all is well.
The relaxed business owner of The Organic Home working in the south of France Kings Road
Details of the festival are on the St Leonards Festival website, www.stleonardsfestival.co.uk. If you haven’t booked a stand please, please hurry as time is short.
It’s going to be a good one!
Traffic update. Fingers crossed edition?
From the Hastings Observer:
“In recent years changes to parking charges in particular have caused a huge amount of upset locally, with traders in the Old Town and Central St Leonards complaining that high prices were costing them business.”
“Speaking at the meeting, council director Richard Homewood said: “The review certainly highlights shortcoming in our consultation with the public. We have learnt lessons.”
Committee Meeting.
Held last week, discussed were the St Leonards Festival, (please see entry below), parking and Kings Road.
The new parking regulations, mostly affecting the Norman Road area whilst Kings Road is worked on, is getting a mixed response. The traders at the Warrior Square end like the 1 hour limit as it means there is always parking available for customers. Up the hill, the traders, especially the antique traders feel 1 hour is too short a time for browsing properly.
Please let us know your feelings on this, both now and as the scheme settles in, so that we can submit detailed responses to the 6 monthly review.
Feelings still run high about Kings Road. The work seems ahead of schedule but the actual handover date, (from contractor to local authority), seems confused. SBA is in talks with the council on aspects of this, again, if you feel you need a voice, let us know.
And a sign appeared…
On the 19th March, so now we know:
and can plan accordingly, and rest easy.
That 13 weeks, BTW, ends on 26/6/2009.
On yer marks, get set……
…The Kings Road Regeneration roadworks, due to start on 2/3/2009, with the closure of Kings Road, has begun….slowly. The Road has not been closed, the roadworks have not commenced, there is a lack of digging, measuring, labouring or general roadworking.
Which is not good news for traders who tried to rearrange delivery schedules, tried to accomodate the roadworks, traders and residents who are going to be inconveniently inconvenienced just a little bit more.
Kings Road Regeneration Scheme. Road Closures.
Kings Road Regeneration Scheme.
Notices of Road Closures have been officially posted. The closures will run from 2nd March 2009 and last about 14 weeks. Kings Road will be closed to traffic. London Road will be closed for 2 weekends. Cross Street will also be closed from 11th March 2009 for about 3 weeks for Gas works.
Details include names and phone number should you need them.
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