Councillor Backs Public Meeting On Uppermill Parking
Nick Watts (left) and Cllr Ken Hulme during Saturday's meeting.
Independent parish councillor Ken Hulme has given his support to the idea of a large public meeting about the proposed new parking restrictions in Uppermill. A council panel is due to decide on Thursday whether to go ahead with the plans, but Cllr Hulme has called for a delay before a final decision is made.
Cllr Hulme attended a small meeting on Saturday, at which four local business owners debated the proposals. He said: “I listened for an hour to the most intelligent and informed discussion I have heard on the subject to date. It was streets ahead of anything that passes for discussion on the parish council.”
Although keeping the Uppermill car parks free, the borough council wants to impose time limits on most of them to free up spaces for visitors and shoppers. But some local residents and businesses are concerned it’ll mean having to interrupt their days to move their vehicles.
Cllr Hulme, who is based in Delph, said: “Councillors have got to start listening to local people whether in Uppermill or in Delph. They really would have benefited from being there on Saturday. I believe that it is possible to reach an intelligent consensus on this issue but it needs proper consultation and an informed debate in the community.”
Around 700 people have signed a petition against the plans, which has been started by Nick Watts, who runs his Urban Haze IT and internet firm from his Uppermill home. However, other business owners, including Tracey Wagner of the A Month of Sundaes ice cream parlour who hosted Saturday’s discussion, are in favour, believing the plans would allow more customers to visit them.
You can read much more about this issue, and get a sense of all sides of the debate, from reading a Saddleworth News article about Saturday’s discussion here.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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Short term FREE car parking is the only way to get volume customers (Sales) through the village shops. This is shown why Sainsbury’s have Free for the first hour. People will use the Butcher, baker and Green Grocer but if the available car parking is all taken up by the shop keepers then the shops will be empty of customers.
Don’t Blame Tesco’s when you shoot your self in the foot.
Very good point David, One of the issues I think has to be clarified before this goes ahead is the issue of parking charges.
I fear that with a council desperate for money and cutting things like free parking for the disabled, parking charges are definitely on the agenda (even if hidden from public view at the moment) and if this scheme goes through – inevitable.
And don’t forget everything may change on Oldham Council after the May 5th elections.
But whoever wins I just can’t see Oldham Council subsidising the cost of this parking scheme when key front line services are getting cut. It’s just too tempting a money spinner.
Ken
There have been public meetings arranged by residents of Uppermill in the Sacred Heart Church hall
There was a parish survey to all residents and a large majority were in favour of continuing FREE parking with measures to stop the all day blocking of spaces, this scheme does this.
Your labour friends were the ones who attempted to bring parking charges in, so stop spreading misinformation.
Deary me John can’t we have a grown up discussion about this without descending into petty party politics and personal insults ?
Nick Watts has raised some serious issues – especially about the consultation or lack of it on this issue – it makes good sense to me to sort this out before taking any further action.
It’s a great disappointment to see some people have to drop to petty and personal levels in order to make their point.
I met three people this weekend who were kindly able to share their time. Despite disagreeing with me, they were all able to put forward their arguments in favour of the restrictions in a very sensible, calm and grown up manner.
John, why are you unable to follow their example?
John,
I wouldn’t put too much faith in polls or public consultation exercises. If OMBC don’t like the result, they’ll just weasel-word their way round it, or simply ignore it and brass-neck it out.
Witness the amount of public money that they have wasted on consultants on their ‘Crompton Moor Project’, only to spend months finding a way around the results of a public consultation exercise, and let the man in charge pursue his own scheme regardless.