Parking permits call in deadlock over plans for Shrewsbury's Dana prison
A planning deadlock over proposals to regenerate Shrewsbury's Dana prison should be used as an opportunity to introduce resident parking permits, a councillor has claimed.
Andrew Bannerman, councillor for Coton Hill and Quarry, said the addition of a further 16 parking spaces to plans for the Dana is inadequate.
Today he said the deferral of the plans should be the catalyst to redeveloping the whole area and to protect residents near the former prison.
Shropshire Council's planning committee deferred a decision on the plans in October over concerns about highways issues and the lack of parking.
Since then, the applicant has proposed an extra 16 parking spaces along the boundary wall of the prison.
Councillor Bannerman said now was a chance to rethink attitudes to transport planning for town centre dwellings.
In a statement submitted to the planning application, he says: "The changes made by the applicant in response to the committee's deferral of the application have been deemed inadequate by Councillor Alan Mosley. I sympathise with these arguments.
"The site still seems rather overdeveloped and without further arrangements, the risk of impact on parking in the surrounding streets is high.
"This is a very important site, containing much historic fabric, which needs a sensitive and imaginative development, much of which is proposed in this application.
"It would be very unfortunate if the applicant withdrew his interest and the site languished undeveloped for several years, perhaps never being well-developed.
"Some residents in the town centre do not own a car, because they do not need one. Many who do, have to find a parking space away from their home.
"Most of these people pay for the privilege. This is common in many towns and cities.
"The town centre car parks are hardly ever at capacity. Several waste space – and some should have more than one level.
"The council runs a scheme for residents in three car parks, which is not currently very popular because it has not adequately met the needs of those who might have made use of it
"In many towns, residents only parking schemes (with guest tickets) operate successfully – we have been slow on the uptake of this way of assisting residents.
"Such a scheme would protect the residents in the vicinity of the Dana.
"The current proposals for car parking in this application probably are inadequate, but my argument is that we need to rethink our attitude to transport planning for town centre dwellings. Furthermore this application should be the catalyst to redevelop this whole area and bring it into the 21st century.
"The Howard Street car park should have another deck or two. The sorting office site probably has space which could be let for parking.
"I hope we can somehow bring more thought and more interests to bear on this, so that we can save this proposal from the dustbin."
Councillor Bannerman also said it was vital to reduce the dependence on cars to cut down on congestion.
