New bollard scheme at Hopkins Precinct, Alcester is adding to traffic gridlock
PARKING issues are costing an Alcester butcher trade – and the problem is getting worse.
Bollards to prevent pavement parking have been installed at Hopkins Precinct, Kinwarton Road, where Stuart Freeman runs Freemans of Alcester.
He said that parking provision for the precinct is so poor, it is causing him to lose trade as customers can’t find anywhere to leave their cars.
The problem, he said, is aggravated as the precinct’s small car park is used by school-run parents – St Benedict’s School is opposite – while delivery vehicles have nowhere to park and block the road.
Work to install the bollards at the main entrance and exit of the precinct and along the Kinwarton Road was completed in April by Warwickshire County Council (WCC).
Mr Freeman, who has operated from the site for 18 years, said while shoppers shouldn’t be parking on the pavement, they had no alternatives.
He added: “The place is gridlocked. People were parking on the pavement because we haven’t got enough parking. Several customers have told me that they have turned around and gone elsewhere.
“The work was done without consultation and hasn’t been properly thought through. The bollard scheme has solved one problem and created another.”
Mr Freeman is calling the area to be redeveloped, with the aim of creating an extra 15 to 20 parking bays. He contacted district councillor Susan Juned and she arranged a meeting with the landlord, Alcester Properties Ltd, officers from WCC and county councillor Piers Daniell.
Mr Freeman said that the consensus was action was needed, but it was unclear how it would be funded.
A spokesperson from WCC said: "Warwickshire County Council, as highway authority, have a duty of care to those with visual impairment and mobility issues to ensure as far as reasonably practicable, a safe means of passage.
“The bollards have been installed at this location to prevent such obstructive parking on the footway by vehicular traffic.”
The council also confirmed there are no plans to increase parking at Hopkins Precinct.
