WESTBURY Town Council is considering installing seven steel planters in the Market Place as a way to combat inappropriate car parking in the area.
The town council say that pedestrian access to the road crossing in the Market Place is often blocked by drivers who park on the raised paved area, and it is hoped that the installation of the planters will deter the practice.
Westbury Town Council’s highways, planning, and development committee voted to approve £5,436 towards the project at a meeting last month, with the town council giving the green light to the plans at a meeting of the full town council on Monday 9th January.
Speaking about the plans, cllr Gordon King said, “If we can do something practical to discourage inappropriate car parking whilst at the same time send a simple message that you do not always need to park where you are going and that walking from a central public car park is actually ok, then I think this has the potential of doing all of those things well.
“A significant increase in the number of vehicles on our roads, the proliferation of car parking charges and the failure of police and highway authority enforcement, has led to an equally significant increase in inappropriate car parking everywhere and Westbury’s Market Place is no exception.
“The Market Place was designed to be an interactive place where some people can park, whilst others enjoy on-street hospitality, take their leisure, or congregate in social groups. The actual number of car parking spaces is limited by intention. Drivers are encouraged to use the town’s public car parks which are within easy walking distance.
“Instead, what has happened is that too many cars and vans are parking wherever they can, even if that means routinely parking off road in the pedestrian/recreation areas. It is hoped that these plans will not only tackle inappropriate parking, but that the brightly coloured planting would undoubtedly brighten up the rather grey vista of the Market Place.
“At the last meeting of the Town Improvement Group, which I chair, the group considered a report prepared by the town ranger for the installation of a few large metallic planters in strategic locations along the boundary of the recreation area to prevent parking.”
