NO TO PARK AND RIDE
Leamington Spa does not need a Park and Ride. There are ample on road parking spaces and car parks. In fact a new £6 million multi storey car park is being built which will increase parking spaces considerably.
I understand that to make Park and Ride work Warwick District Council is proposing to reduce parking spaces in the town and to increase parking charges. This does not make sense. Why spend £6 million on a car park when you intend reducing parking spaces. increasing charges will keep shoppers away, including myself and will adversely affect the shops in the town and will reduce revenue for the Council.
Who do you think is going to park their car 1 1/2 miles outside the town centre and wait for a bus with maybe a baby or young children in tow? They would have to do the same on the return journey plus carrying their shopping. It would be easier and quicker to continue driving the last 1 1/2 miles into town and park there.
Few Park and Ride schemes work and to even think of using Green Belt land for this is wicked especially when there is no need for one. Park and Ride does not constitute "Exceptional Circumstances" to remove land from the Green Belt. If this scheme goes ahead it will fail, Green Belt land will have been destroyed and the Council will have more land to build houses. Is that the idea?
This proposal must be taken off the Local Plan. The areas of search are huge and are blighting the neighbouring properties. In fact the area of search in Blackdown includes several properties.