Spendlove Car Park (Roads)

Thu 23 Oct, 18:33 (last edited on Fri 24 Oct, 10:31)

A case surely, of you can't please all of the people all of the time.  But isn't it not so much how you divide the cake as the size of it in the first place?

As I pointed out under the 'parking impacting local businesses' thread, Charlbury is designated under WODC's Local Plan as a 'Rural Service Centre' - meaning it is supposed to provide and cater for a full range of services for its 'catchment area' - which it does pretty well and is one the reasons it's such an attractive place to live.  I can't remember if the catchment is defined (yes, I could look it up but...!)  but put the emphasis on 'rural'.  

And then ask - how do people who don't live within, say, a 10 minute walk of the centre get there?  Compared to many such places we probably do pretty well also for public transport - but it's just naive to think everyone can access it conveniently or at all.  Or get on their bikes.  'Rural' remember.  Employers (if they can afford to!) might offer financial help with that but that's not much use if its accessibility is an issue.

The Bull and the Bell are now successful - at least in drawing people in - where not so long ago both seemed to be in dceline through a lack of investment.  Remember the application to turn the Bull into housing?  Whatever your thoughts about those who patronise them, what do you want?  A thriving centre - which helps to support other local businesses and services that you might want to use yourself - or for the whole place slowly to shut down (as many shops have) - so you then have to go elsewhere to get whatever it is you need....

And even if some of the planning aspects have not always been treated with the respect one might expect, the loss of a couple of spaces here or there doesn't help but is not going to make a huge difference where the place is overloaded already.  Too many tanks these days for my taste but grumbling about that also doesn't solve anything.

So.  If we are really to be and remain a Rural Service Centre, it seems to me we - collectively but certainly involving WODC and possibly local employers - need to look at finding some way to enlarge the cake.  And put more bollards in the road around the top of Chruch Street to keep it clear enough for the buses.  Simples!