Lower Sunbury Car Parks - Liberal Democrat Councillors objection to new charges

The Sunbury Liberal Democrat Councillors have consistently opposed the imposition of car parking charges in Lower Sunbury. The following is the content of the formal response to the consultation from all of the Lower Sunbury Lib Dem Councillors.

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LETTER TO THE HEAD OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AT SPELTHORNE BOROUGH COUNCIL

As part of the consultation into the extension of charges at the car parks in Sunbury, this is to let you know that the position of the Liberal Democrat ward councillors is unchanged.

We are OPPOSED on the following grounds:

• The commercial damage to businesses in The Avenue, Thames Street and Green Street and especially to small retailers because of the anomaly of the continued availability of free parking at Tesco's. (It is worth noting that Molesey and Kensington have recently eased parking restrictions in some places for similar commercial reasons).
• The deterrent to visitors to some of Spelthorne's most attractive features: Sunbury Park, Sunbury Riverside, the Walled Garden and the Millennium Embroidery.
• The increase in on-street parking in Lower Sunbury (already discernible). The layout of Lower Sunbury, with the river as a barrier and the lack of parking for houses in Thames Street makes this worse.
• The probable lack of cost-effectiveness of supplying and servicing machines in the little-used Old Bathing Station car park.
• The exploratory proposal to charge a monthly fee of £100 for reserved spaces for residents is socially divisive, and would have the effect of part-privatising the car park and depriving the general public of spaces.

Several residents have copied to us letters to you making similar and additional points, which we trust will be taken into consideration. In particular I would draw your attention to the letter from Mr Robert Shaw, Chairman of Sunbury Millennium Embroidery, which makes the case against the charges far more tellingly than we can.