Medway Council have launched a public consultation earlier this week regarding the future of the Luton Shoppers Car Park in Chatham. As discussed at a Cabinet meeting on June 7, Medway Council conducted a review of Council owned land, including car parks, across Medway for sites that may be suitable for development. The Luton Shoppers Car Park was identified as one of the 7 sites that are earmarked to be disposed and developed. The Luton Shoppers Car Park is a public car park located off Magpie Hall Road with 56 spaces allowing visitors to park for free up to 20 hours. The survey outlines proposals that the existing car park could be developed primarily for housing, as well as the potential of including community space, therefore a loss of a heavily used public car park. A further option is to retain public car parking facilities and develop housing. Medway Council are understandably determined to meet national targets to ease the housing crisis, however factors such as existing parking problems in the area also have to be considered. On-street parking is very limited in the area, and the car park provides a designated zone for commercial businesses and shoppers to park their cars away from residents. The possible loss of the existing site and the development of additional housing will have a knock-on effect on the immediate area, as the existing users and new residents will be forced to park on-street, which as already explained, is very limited in terms of space availability therefore causing further issues and clogging up residential streets. The development of housing at this location would also place further pressure on nearby schools and the GP, which is already at breaking point. Taking these factors into mind, housing development will place pressure on local facilities, such as medical and education services, as well as affecting parking across the area. Picture Credit: Google Maps We agree with Arches Local, as they stated in a recent tweet, that the car park 'should be retained and the potential use of a market explored', to improve local trading and minimise the risk of further parking chaos.
Speaking about the proposals, Tristan Osborne, Councillor for Luton & Wayfield, said: "I will oppose any private sector development for that land that does not include a public car park option." Cllr Osborne has also submitted a Freedom of Information request to Medway Council to review whether any correspondance with a third-party that is interested in the development of the site has taken place yet. If you would like to share your views on the proposals set out for the Luton Shoppers Car Park, then please complete the Medway Council survey to let them know what you think prior to further development of this matter. This consultation is open for feedback until February 7, 2017. Comments are closed.
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August 2023
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