Councillors Debate Chapel Road Parking

Chapel Road, with cars parked on the Churchill Fields side of the street.

The idea of putting parking bays up one side of Chapel Road between Uppermill and Greenfield was debated at Saddleworth Parish Council’s monthly meeting on Monday. There were mixed views, as some councillors supported the scheme, while others were worried about whether it was really necessary.

The notion was first suggested last month. Work to repair the retaining wall on the road is due to take place anyway, and it was suggested this could be an opportunity to turn one side of the road into an official parking area, rather than the unofficial one which exists at present.

Cllr Royce Franklin, the chair of the council’s sub-committee for transport matters, told his colleagues the plan would “formalise” parking on Chapel Road. He said bays would be painted up the 480m length of the Churchill Fields side of the road, with new double yellow lines going up the other side.

He said there was already particular concern about the Greenfield end of the road, where cars are usually parked on both sides, causing a potential safety hazard as vehicles try to squeeze past each other.

Cllr Brian Lord said he thought it was an “excellent idea” that would “solve a lot of problems.” He said people wanting to go to Greenfield Station could park at the bottom end of the road, those wanting Churchill Fields could park in the middle, while those visiting Uppermill could easily leave their vehicles at the top end. Cllr Mike Buckley added that he thought it was a good idea, while Cllr Barbara Beeley suggested the scheme could improve road safety.

However, other councillors were less convinced. Cllr Bill Cullen queried whether any research had actually been done to identify the benefits of the scheme. That point was echoed by Cllr Ken Hulme, who said: “There’s no information that there’s going to be any major advantage. We’re supposed to be running a tighter ship… you shouldn’t spend money if you don’t have to.”

The council’s Chairman, Cllr Keith Begley, added that he felt there was “not a major problem” at the moment. He said he was worried that money would be spent “for no good purpose” adding that as far as he was concerned, “this proposal is not giving anything extra, it’s not adding anything.”

Cllr Franklin concluded the debate by pointing out that the long-awaited time limits on parking in certain Uppermill car parks are finally due to take effect in the coming weeks. He said formalising parking on Chapel Road would give another option to people who work in Uppermill and want to leave their cars somewhere all day.

Despite several abstentions, the councillors then voted in favour of the parking proposal, which will now go before the Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership. Councillors also voted to remove four bus stops on Chapel Road, which have been redundant since the 350 was re-routed to go past the station in 2008.

Also during Monday night’s meeting, councillors discussed planned cutbacks at Oldham Council and the work now taking place on the civic hall itself. You can read about both subjects here and here.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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