Today we have received a very unwelcome piece of news through the post from our local council.
There is a school on our road that has been given permission to expand. They have already imposed parking restrictions, including double yellow lines opposite the school , which run outside our house and no stopping areas straight outside the school. Double yellows have also been put around the junctions around our house.
The local parking situation is pretty awful. We have an allocated parking space around the back of the house, but like most houses we have two cars and couldn't function with only one. Local roads are appalling parking wise, they are parked up on pavements and grass verges and our road is one of the last places in the vicinity that you can usually find a space on. They are not just putting yellow lines in around the school but all the way down the road and into side roads as well. I have no idea where we will be able to park our car that isn't 5 minutes walk away if this goes through.
The road is a bit of a rat-run as the traffic locally has become awful, especially as the keep building more and more houses in the local area without any regard to traffic or parking problems. Cars often speed down the road at excessive speeds, with the road bumps doing nothing to deter this. The cars park on the side of the road act as a natural speed deterrent and without these there it would be much worse. I find this strange considering there will be more school children in the area.
With these double yellows there will be nowhere for parents to drop their children off, pushing them towards other traffic and parking issues. The school has a tiny car park and teachers often park outside our house and in the side road opposite - where are they going to park?
The house was bought with street parking in mind and we are also worried that this will de-value the house.
We plan to write off to object to this, as well as trying to attend the local council meeting, although there is very limited time and slots available for people to bring up objections. I will also be writing letters for our neighbours (which makes me cringe as I never saw myself being one of those people).
Can anyone offer any advice on good point to protest on, alternative avenues etc.?
Any advice would be most appreciated.
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Comments
I'm a legend.
Next problem please.....
If they have applied but have not yet got permission you can object.
But it sounds as if your beef is less with the extension than with the parking restrictions which are separate from the planning (though may be linked). Parking restrictions should be much easier to overturn. First see your local councillor and try to get a meeting with the relevant highways officer, preferably with a councillor present. If you can organise others in your street you have a much better chance.
Do you know what the proposed timing restrictions are that go with the lines? It would seem unreasonable to me that they should apply outside school opening hours or, for that matter, outside term time.