Elton John concert venue will have four mile parking exclusion zone
Monday 16th May 2011, 1:53PM BST.
CONCERT-GOERS attending this summer’s Sir Elton John gig in Shrewsbury will be banned from parking in residential areas within four miles of the venue, council officials said today.
Shropshire Council said motorists will be stopped from parking close to the Greenhous Meadow Stadium in Oteley Road on June 12 when the legendary singer arrives for his first concert in the town.
About 17,000 people are expected to attend the event at Shrewsbury Town FC’s ground but council officials are warning people they should not even be dropped off or picked up by cars in residential areas near the stadium.
Shrewsbury Town and the council have now released details of the available car parking options for concert-goers.
A statement reads: “As part of the traffic management strategy a section of Oteley Road will be closed to general and through traffic for the duration of the event and enforceable on-street parking restrictions will be in force in all surrounding residential areas within approximately a four-mile radius of the stadium. Concert-goers will not be able to park in these areas and walk to the event. It should also be noted that these areas should not be used for picking up friends or relatives leaving the concert.
“Arrangements are in place for local residents’ parking exemptions but all concert ticket holders, travelling to the concert by car, are strongly advised to purchase a car parking ticket prior to the concert date.
“Parking passes are now available for purchase at £8 per car, guaranteeing a parking space at one of the many ‘Park and Walk’ sites within 10 minutes walking distance of the stadium.”
Blue badge holders getting a lift to the concert must bring their blue badge with them. Anyone who has bought a hospitality option, which includes a parking space at the stadium, but intends to be dropped off, will also need to bring their parking pass to be able to pass the road closure.
For details visit www.shropshire.gov.uk
By Russell Roberts
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so pray, what on earth does the council expect to do with the cars??? Is there that much parking space available at the stadium? Typical Shrewsbury organisation (or lack of it)
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Is that a 4 mile radius?
That means as far away as Kendal Road off Whitchurch Road, or Herongate, or the fringes of Bicton Heath, or even Condover!!
That’s a lot of parking restriction to cover. No wonder they need 8 pound per parking ticket to pay for all of the Parkright officers.
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Parking is bad enough when 5000 turn up for football, where are up to 17000 people equating to probably 8000 cars going to be parked? Should be fun, glad I am not going.
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maybe all the concert goers can park at Telford and catch the train the bus to the stadium…………..not very well thought out was it Mr promoter
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I don’t believe it!
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I’m going along with three others. perhaps being ferried in from the train station and car parks is an option but on the whole clearly this has not been fully thought out, the knock-on effect for both residents and concert goers will be horrendous, at least for people arriving access will be staggered as gates open from 4.30′ish i think, but I only hope they plan some sort of system otherwise everyone leaving the venue at the same time will be A NIGHTMARE!!! perhaps Mr Elton John will allow us to use his helicopter as it’s the only way he’s going to get in !!!
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The council seem to just knock down anything good in the town, concerts in the quarry, concerts at the football ground. Anything to do with Shrewsbury Town F.C. is just always made awkward or difficult for the club, one of the towns finest assets is the football club yet the council just seem to make things a difficult as possible for any good the club trys to do. Yes 17,000 people is a lot of people but what did they do when 18,917 people crammed in to the old Gay Meadow? What does the city of Liverpool do with 40,000 people every week gunning for the inner depths of the city to watch Everton or Liverpool? Yet Shrewsbury Town FC is on the outskirts of the town and is a stone throw from the A5! I mean come on get a grip council! Is it jealousey that STFC own the stadium outright and not the council may i ask? If so may I ask the good people of Shrewsbury to vote some for some new councillors next time, ones that care about the towns events and not about petty parking which happens once in a blue moon for somebody as high profile as Elton John.
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I hope they are laying on adequate park and ride then and extra trains too else a famous phrase involving drinking in a brewery comes to mind. Why encourage a major event then at the last minute tell people going to it that there is no parking? Unbelievable – any other town could organise and be more welcoming, there are plenty of fields they could open around the ground for parking too. Probably the first – and last – major event based on this bureaucratic farce.
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I’m renting two spaces out on my driveway for £50 quid each…
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good on you
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Are the Council going to put a parking order in place and adequate signage in every street affected?
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So anyone wanting to visit relatives within a four mile radius of Shrewsbury, on that day, will be “banned ” from parking outside their relative’s/friend’s house….how on earth are they going to do that? Has anyone thought this through?
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Residents are said to be getting a parking permit and can get others should they need them. There is a link above that explains all.
Knowing how horrendous traffic is on matchdays, I’m all for this abomination to stifled by any means.
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Why not open up all the SCC staff car parks and allow those to be used.
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FOUR MILES!!!!!!!
So I take it that they expect people to fly in then. The imbeciles at the council will do everything to make sure Shrewsbury’s entertainment is non existent.
I would like to see them try to ticket me when I park outside a friends house in Sutton Farm.
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So how are they going to police this? And when someone does park where they are not allowed to what will they do, leave a ticket on it and hope the problem goes away?
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How ridiculous!! Typical of small-town mentality. Don’t want it to succees do they?
In Nottingham you get 30,000 for a football match yet you’re allowed to park within 400 yds, and there’s no problem.
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Obviously nothing in this concert for the Council so they are going to be their usual obstructive selves.
I assume the same criteria will apply to Shrewsbury Fields Forever Festival at West Mid Show Ground on 17th Sept and also the Flower Show…….
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I sometimes wonder about the motives of Shropshire Council employees.
The one’s I know are very down with news of the cuts, they feel betrayed and in some cases see us as the public as the Enemy?
Please remember who pays your salary?
Make things easy you jobs worths!
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Not at all, Cake… we see the Chief Executive and the current Tory council administration as the enemy… very much so. I rather suspect the public would agree with me, wouldn’t you say, all you schools campaigners, anti-biomass plant campaigners, and so on? The public are very much OK, by and large… except for a few grumpy folk who post on here, and no, I don’t mean you, Cake.
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Big smug grin on my face as I sit in my abode in Sutton Farm. The stadium never bothers us thanks to our parking permit system. Love watching the STFC fans having to trudge by the window, its even better when its cold & raining. Perhaps STFC should admit defeat and realise that they haven’t got the facilities to hold events like this – illusions of grandure methinks!
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I park in Sutton Farm, don’t live there and have not received a ticket attending football games. What do you say to that Monkey?
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What a guy, you are an inspiration to us all. Your capacity kindness and compassion is obviously without limits.
Unlike your ability to use the English language – one has delusions of grandeur.
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Monkey, you obviously have a fun-filled life contemplating how wonderful you are! Long may it last until you die of boredom.
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How sad you are monkey. What’s wrong with people parking outside your home? Are you telling me you never park any where but a car park?
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Yet somehow the Town seems to cope with 60,000 flower show visitors in the TOWN CENTRE over 2 FULL days every year without any draconian measures!! This is 18,000 in ONE EVENING on the outskirts with far superior facilities…
Don’t you just love the council!!
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Do you mean all the visitors that arrive via coach or the ones that pay the £4.50 to park in frankwell or one of the other sites outside of town? There isn’t a huge problem with flower show visitors parking in residential areas which i believe is the point of the measures with the concert. I’m sure the coucil won’t mind if you want to park in Frankwell and walk to the stadium – bit of a long way though.
Perhaps STFC should conclude from this that they are not really equiped to handle events like this and just stick to the usual half capacity crowd, twice a month, that they are used to?
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How are they going to police this parking ,especially if you park up to 3.99 miles away?
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Shropshire Council the hight of meanest car parking charges at £8 special car parking sites restrictions with in 4 miles,Elton John how wonderful that he should vistit Shrewsbury before going to Las Vegas,any way with the revenue that the Council collect from car parking fines etc they will be able to employ another low level executive on its management team
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Has the Shropshire Star got that 4 mile figure right? By my thinking that takes in parts of Ditherington, Harlescott, Condover and Cross Houses? Which would seem a tad excessive.
The park and rides work really well on match day and record numbers of people are now cycling to the New Meadow, so the football travel plan works well for football games. Hopefully the Elton John concert goes smoothly too. Not going myself but unlike some I think it would be great if the concert is a success and more events take place at the ground, and help put the town on the map.
Any chance of the Foo Fighters in 2012?
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Oooh Foo’s would be good!! Never going to happen though.
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And how exactly are they going to police that? Where and how do residents park outside their house if they live within one mile of stadium?
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Danny Davies, The removing of the covenant at the rate payers expense from the old Gay Meadow enabled the new football ground to be built, so technically it belongs to the people of Shrewsbury, if I am incorrect please tell me how much money the directors put in to building the Stadium. The football supporters can thank the council for removing the covenant so the Stadium could be built. The 18,917 Supporters at the Gay Meadow could possibly be the Christmas fixture against Walsall????? But in those days very few people had cars. No, the promoters and the club knew the parking restrictions around the Stadium But failed to notify the people, please do not put the blame on the Council.
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When the new ground was going through the planning process the covenant on the old ground was reviewed by the high courts. Contray to popular belief they established that the original covernat was put in place to protect the football club, not to safe guard the land for the people of shrewsbury.
The covenent was put in place to ensure there was always a piece of land devoted to sport – particularly football – in Shrewsbury. The covenant stopped developers buying the club and turning the site into housing without providing the club with a new home. (As happened to Wimbledon a few years ago)
However when the Gay Meadow site was no longer suitable to a host a modern football ground the courts lifted the covenent on the site and transfered it to the current ground on Oteley Road. So the covenent still exists and is there to guard against anyone buying the club and using the land on which the ground sits for their own finacial gain.
The new ground was built using funds from the sale of the old site, and grants from the Football Trust (whose funding comes from a levy on the pools). Shrewsburys chairman also payed for some of the costs although he’s never revealed the exact level. No grants from the local council payed for the new ground, so I’m afraid there is no truth in the rumour the people of Shrewsbury paid for the ground.
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the covernat and a match in 1961 isn’t really relevant is it, unless you’re living in the past like many S’bury residents and Councillors it seems?
Point is, in these economic hard times, does the town want to attract visitors and entertainment to the town who will boost the local economy? It seems not.
Why should STFC or any other body bother to promote Shrewsbury when the council can’t see past their own noses?
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How on earth will this be policed?? One can’t be dropped off or picked up in surrounding residential areas?? How very bizarre. Can anyone REALLY stop someone getting out of a car somewhere? So if you were planning to visit a friend on this day and were getting a lift there, you can’t be dropped off? Will there be a council official on each corner watching activity of cars? I just don’t understand: am I missing something?
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I still have my doubts about this alleged 17000 attendance for the concert.
The ground capacity is 9875 losing 1700′ish for the stage to be at the one end of the ground leaves 8175, so there are going to be 8825 people on the pitch……..sounds a bit odd to me, its a football pitch not a 5 acre field.
Having been to various outdoor concerts, including Genesis at Wembley stadium when the actual ground capacity was 100,000 but the actual concert capacity was only 72000.
Surely not more of the legendary overhyping of an ‘event’.
The capacity at the new LG Arena (NEC) is only 14000.
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They’ll probably put people on the pitch, mate.
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Personally I am happy to have a 4 mile exclusion zone around Elton John but can appreciate some of his fans may take a different view to me!
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I dont Believe It !
….stop moaning and be glad the Town has an event that will make money, if its a success the meadow will have more and more every summer so get used to it
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As someone who lives and works in Shrewsbury, but isn’t going to this concert how on earth has anyone from the council thought of this ridiculousness??
How is it that we don’t have anywhere near these measures for the awful flower show that inconveniences many many Shrewsbury residents and workers? i.e. due to the fact that they can’t use a public park nor can they properly travel into the town centre. Yet a concert being held outside the town centre has to have draconian parking restrictions.
Oh yes the council aren’t receiving any money from this one, of course they have to make it hard.
4 miles is quite a stretch to police! So how will they be able to tell which cars are going to the concert and which are just going to the shops / pub / cinema / visiting friends and family???
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If anyone wants to park on my drive for free, call me on 07791888819. Which overpaid clown at Shropshire council dreamt that idea up ? And how many monkeys are they gonna have to pay to police a four mile radius ?
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Can I have it mate? Its a Honda!!
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Why does the council hate people coming into Shrewsbury to spend money? They should be encouraging concert goers to stay, eat and drink here after the gig not panic them about parking fines.
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Can someone please say where these so-called ‘drop-off’ points are as nothing is actually available for this?
The Shropshire Council pages direct you to the Shrewsbury Town Site… and that site keeps taking you to their homepage… how can you plan to get people there safely and not trouble them with parking without knowing where you are actually allowed to go?!
Seriously, sort something out! Maps etc would be the most basic, logical option to cover all these grey areas rather than encourage money making parking options only.
Anyone have any idea where these drop off points are as I’m losing the will to live!?
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Council = Muppets!
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Apparantly the council are today having a rethink after so many complaints (Thursday 19th)
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Yes they will cancel the concert.
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Shame the concert was given the go-ahead last year some 6 months before the application to vary planning consent was lodged (Jan 2011).
What planning consent? Oh thats the one limiting the stadium to football for Shrewsbury Town only.
One has to wonder if anybody actually gives a fig for the law, rules and regs when they can be ‘varied’ for a small fee whenever they like.
And it won’t be just a once off it will be re-applied and this will be the precedent.
Congrats to Shropshire Council and Councillor Tandy who clearly don’t have any recollection of what the restriction was there for – namely the protection of peaceful living by the people living around a venue that they didn’t want in the first place
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why all the fuss. on match days there is an excellent park and ride from shire hall car parks. just book 50 coaches and ferry the fans to the vauxhall meadow. it is hardly candle in the wind and the council might earn some money for its ratepayers. ding ding another one behind!
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So does the drop off and pick up restrictions apply to taxis as well. Thats sad for all the taxi drivers at the station looking to earn some extra money from all this and how do you get from the station – its a jolly long walk back at night.
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Actually I don’t suppose anyone will be able to come by train as they stop running too early for any concert goers to catch at the end of the concert.
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Never mind Elton John, we are going to see Take That in Manchester and hey guess what?no parking exclusion!
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They’re not actually shutting the roads people, if people want to be dropped off they can do, just like a Shrewsbury game, no difference there!
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Shrewsbury Town should not have been given this concert, it is becoming a farce, they cannot even organise or even announce drop off and pick up information, how the hell are people expected to get to and from the venue its a joke, we are coming from newtown and i cannot even tell our mini bus driver where we can be picked up after, i can see the bus company cancelling our transport if they hear of all this hassel
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Has anyone yet worked out the location of the park and walk car parks? They seem to be mainly referred to by letter reference on the Shrewsbury Town website. I’m happy to reserve a space, but not unless I know where it is, so I can get to it on the day!!
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