Testun llawn:
I believe the proposal for Park and Ride at this location seems ill-considered.
There are multiple bus services covering the area, and links to Coventry by rail are equally efficient and regular. I believe Stagecoach have emphasised what an important bus route the A452 is at present with a variety of buses using the route every few minutes and the X18 is a fast bus that goes straight to Coventry via the A46. Clearly it is not in anyone's interest to encourage car use, but this facility might just discourage use of the train (time between Leaminton and Coventry stations is only 10 minutes) or indeed using the frequent buses between Coventry and Leamington for the whole journey.
Stagecoach in their submission state, "The attractiveness of the facility in achieving mode shift into Leamington, and just as important, towards the University of Coventry and potentially Coventry, Whitley, Stoneleigh and Westwood, depends on buses benefiting from comprehensive priority measures both north and south of the facility."
It would appear there is insufficient evidence that the County Council are intending to provide the required comprehensive priority measures both north and south of the Park and Ride facility which Stagecoach clearly believes is necessary to achieve the modal shift.
Most Park and Ride facilities require efforts to cut back on car parking provision in the town centre in order to encourage use of the Park and Ride facilities. Leamington Spa already has ample on-street and off-street car parking provision. If the County Council are at the moment trying to increase the on-street car provision in the centre of town by removing "No Waiting at any Time" parking and proposing to replace it with "Limited Waiting 2 hours no return 4 hours 8am to 8pm Except Permit holders". The latest example of this is in Chapel Street just south of the river.
Also, if the District Council intend to replace the existing Covent Garden Car Park with a new and larger 650 car park and there are no plans to close any of the District Council car parks in Leamington then it further begs the question why such a facility is available.
I believe there is no evidence of any planning to reduce the income from car parking in Leamington by either the County Council or the District Council.
The District Council have produced no documents on the likely cost of building the Northern Park and Ride, The District Council has not shown whether either Council will be subsiding this facility or if either Council expects to earn additional income from the facility. It does not appear from Stagecoach's submission that Stagecoach would intend to run the facility.
BID Leamington has for some time been campaigning for more car parking in Leamington Town Centre, it has also had concerns about overly fierce enforcement of on-street car parking in the town centre by the County Council. BID Leamington say they have not been asked for their views on Park and Ride.
I would further add that such a development is the thin end of a wedge, and appears little more than a ruse to develop green belt land, with one recent development having been successfully challenged by Old Milverton and Blackdown, this appears a sleight of hand to try to make in roads into converting the land into hard standing as a pre-cursor for further development. Traffic and parking in the centre of Leamington Spa is part of the economic life blood of the town. Any attempts to dissuade motorists from doing so would further impact on the offer in the town centre from retailers and restaurants and bars. It is already evident that the recent economic downturn has had an impact and any further rationalisation of traffic would be hugely detrimental.
It is my sincere hope common sense prevails and we preserve the integrity of Leamington Spa as a thriving local town and not turn it into some pedestrianised ghost town that people avoid. It is the very fact that one can park conveniently in Leamington that draws people here, away from shopping locations such as Coventry. Commuters have plenty of public transport options available to them and there should be more done to encourage use of those options rather than carving up green belt land under the spurious guise of providing parking which is not required.