Parking near the theatre

On Tuesday we received notification that Gloucestershire County Council are proposing to change the nature of the onstreet parking in the vicinity of the theatre. At present, all the available parking on Bath Road, Wellington Street and Oriel Road is free of charge but with a maximum stay of two hours before 6pm. The proposal is that all these spaces will be switched over to pay and display parking from 8am - 8pm, seven days a week, with a maximum stay of two hours, at a charge of £1.60 for one hour and £2.80 for two hours.

This means that it will be almost impossible to attend the theatre by car - either as a performer, a member of the audience, someone taking part in a Pilates or dance class, or a parent collecting or dropping off a child for a drama class - without paying for your parking or walking some distance. The pay and display car park across the road already charges until 8pm at night (until three years ago it was free after 6pm).

We are told that: "Evidence from areas where on street pay and display parking has been introduced shows that a higher turnover of spaces means more visitors and shoppers can find a place to park to access local shops. You will also find it easier to get deliveries direct to your door. This is because the duration of stay is better managed so more spaces are made available more frequently."

While I have no evidence to dispute this, one has to argue that if the reason for introducing charges is to improve the parking for shoppers to access local shops, the charging could surely stop at 6pm once the shops are closed. Similarly, there would be no need for all-day charging on Sundays. This, of course, is if one accepts that in a time of recession/depression, introducing such high parking charges is a sensible proposal.

There is a period of consultation until October 23rd and you can read about the exact nature of the plans at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/cheltenhampayanddisplay along with some questions and answers. You can also find a questionnaire on that site - either online or printable for posting - to air your views on these proposals. There is also a public consultation at the borough council offices on Friday 16th October during various times of the day.

We urge all supporters and users of the theatre and the local shops to air complete the questionnaire or write to the borough council to argue against the introduction of these charges.