Nick Eden-Green responds to Canterbury City Council’s car park sell off.
Four city centre car parks have been put up for sale by the city council, including the temporary car park in Station Road West, Rosemary Lane, St John’s Lane business user car park and part of Longport. In an email to fellow councillors, Nick Eden-Green, Lib Dem Councillor for Wincheap said:
“Congratulations to Canterbury City Council in its determination to destroy our city centre shops, deter tourists and strangle businesses. In short to kill off our prime economic asset.
The sale of these car parks was forced through by the majority Conservative group on the council, none of whom were elected by Canterbury residents, on the understanding that the places lost would be offset by car drivers using the Park and Ride. Then, only last month, they announced they are planning to close the Sturry Road Park and Ride!
This decision betrays utterly illogical thinking, a failure to follow their own policies and a desperate attempt to prop up their finances by forcing motorists to use the £9m white elephant that is the Station Road West car park. That, of course, is situated at the wrong end of the city from the shops!
These decisions will make the city far less accessible, will rebound on residents living in the outskirts of the inner city who will find they can’t park near their homes, and will be regretted in the future as the acts of a Council desperately trying to recover from its other poor financial decisions like the £150m on Whitefriars and £12m on Kingsmead. What a dreadful record of financial irresponsibility.”
Posted by Nick Eden-Green
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