Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
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by Lib Dem team on 21 August, 2014
The owners of the Cheadle Royal Business Park are to start enforcing the ‘no parking’ rule on the roads in the park with a private enforcement company and fines for transgressors.
The Lib Dems are worried that this will lead to more parking problems around St Anne’s Road North.
With our colleagues in Heald Green, the Lib Dems successfully pressed for more yellow lines along St Anne’s Road North to stop people parking right up to the chicanes – and that does seem to have made it safer. We looked at ways to reduce the total traffic but that’s less easy – and putting down more lines risks just moving the cars around.
We will be closely monitoring the situation, but we’re disappointed that Muse and the businesses on the park seem to be moving in a way that could make the parking problem even worse along St Anne’s Road North and our requests that they take action to improve the situation (such as by restoring the shuttle bus which ran successfully last year) have not been heeded.
32 Comments
I would like to point out the businesses on the park have no say or input in the matter, businesses have tried hard to look for alternative ways of travel etc. It is the owners of the land that are enforcing the rules of no parking on the roads of the business park. A percentage of businesses would have gladly paid to restore the shuttle bus, but not all were in agreement as the majority of people do not work within the travel hours of the shuttle bus.
The main issue is the fact there is no public transport available to users of the business park thus no alternative to the use of people’s own vehicles.
I am afraid that there is no real solution to this – most of the people who work there travel by car as it is more convenient. No travel company would ever open up a bus route to this place – where would it go and run from?
Whoever owns or manages the business park should be brought to heed. They have brought misery to every resident around the park and have absolutely no sense of responsibility or care for the people who live nearby. Enough is enough. I would be interested to know what can be done to make the owners/managers do something constructive for a change and demonstrate some kind of adult attitude. They stripped the area of green belt, they caused the whole of St Anne’s Road to become a bloody car park, and when my two children go on the area to ride their bikes they are threatened to leave by an aggressive security guy. I don’t live on St Anne’s Road but I sympathise with those who do. But I have to travel along that road and find it an absolute shame that we now have to negotiate around a line of cars parked the length of the road just so we can get to wherever we’re going. There should be No Parking for anyone other than residents along that stretch. I will watch with great interest how the councillors respond to this and hope the response is a robust one! Over to you.
PS How do I stop my comments on here automatically linking to Facebook? So frustrating!
It is called ‘progress’ to develop space but the word can apply going up or down. Surely when the business park was granted original and subsequent planning permissions the need for access to and parking on the site should have been addressed. However the situation now is that site access is abysmal – causing twice daily bad congestion up to the roundabout – and parking on St. Annes Rd. is not only inconvenient but also dangerous – the road width will inevitably result in damage to vehicles when lorries etc use it.
Another downside now is, because the workers are more and more parking in the area we have noticed now on Grasmere Road that the speed of cars 7-30am till 9-00am and especially between 4-30pm and 6-00pm as increased as this is the main cut thro now to Gatley road as there are no speed humps or chicanes. There are one or two regular ones especially the two idiots on motor bikes. As I have always said for years in this area it all boils down to lack of planning with Kingsway lights junction which will never be solved till someone builds a fly over or tunnel regardless of the house either side, this is what would be done anywhere else in the world. Because do not forget they are going to build houses at Woodford and Handforth Dean regardless.
Well said David Mycock
Sorry – David Maycock [apologies]
Another planning fiasco……
Robert you are spot on.
As a Chartered Surveyor, my limited dealings with planners has not been one of joy…..
As a St Ann’s Rd resident Ian, we have discussed this too often now, as each time it becomes worse. We elect councillors to fight these planning disasters. Now we need to fight the developers who do not care about local residents.
Can we look forward to an urgent meeting with Mark Hunter involved!
I might add the 20mph zone is totally ignored also on this rd!
How right you are David, they are going to build at Woodford and at Handforth Dean regardless of what any of the local residents opinions are.
And yes they do need to build a fly over or the lesser option a tunnel or even sort the traffic lights issue ASAP at Gatley lights. But no it will all drag on and get worse over the years with the local councillors blaming everybody else but themselves and pointing the finger at the motorists who even dare to drive on the very roads that are causing the said problems.
Paradise is that where we all cycle and use public transport or even walk.
Why dont the local councillors get a grip of reality and stop pussy footing about and do what they promise and sort it!!
In Gatley we are lucky to have the train station and services should be treasured and protected, but buses have declined steadily over the last 20 years. The business park is an asset to the area and provides employment. Constantly restricting motorists both with driving and parking regulations isn’t the way forward. How about a shuttle bus service between East Didsbury Tram, Cheadle Village, Gatley Train Station, Gatley Station, Heald Green Station, and Cheadle Royal, both business park and shopping. The business park could provide incentives for car sharing, and could implement a car sharing web application to enable this.
Hi John,
My understanding from local residents is that the parking situation has improved since the most recent changes local councillors put through – cars still park along the road but not in such dangerous locations. It would be useful to know if that’s your experience too.
I agree with David M re> Grasmere Road the speed of cars has increased.
From St.Ann’s Rd, when approaching the bend to the righr, if there are cars parked on the left on the approach – so forcing you into the oncoming lane – it is about 50/50 that you will encounter a car comimg head-on at you, as it is such a busy rat-run route now. It has got so bad of late that i often now don’t turn into Grasmere; instead i go on down St.Ann’s to High Grove and come up to Troutbeck via Silverdale.
Is it right that us local residents should have to suffer this? What is the Council doing to protect our rights to a reasonable life? Not much as i see it. Instead we are being constantly squeezed in the name of business development, and get nothing in return.
Writing this makes me think of getting out, somewhere simpler.
Iain – surely we need a totally new way of looking at and balancing the needs of community vs business, don’t we?
John – you may be right, but I’ve no idea what that new way would be. The needs of the community include jobs for people, not to mention the taxes that come from all those businesses that fund the services we all use, so I don’t think it’s a simple us vs. them.
Any suggestions as to models we could follow would be welcome!
There’s an obvious solution: the residents should have the final say – above the planners and developers, as its clear the latter don’t know what they are doing.
Iain, I’d like you to add this notification onto the Facebook pages of Gatley and of Cheadle. I would like to see everyone getting involved in this as I’d like to explore some kind of group/mass involvement campaign/demonstration whatever it takes to get you and the other councillors to do something for the residents instead of just putting them down by saying the business park provides employment and tax revenue. For me, that hits a nerve and I’d like to see this whole issue brought into a wider area for discussion. Would you kindly mention this issue on Facebook, then. Or am I okay to copy and paste it there myself?
Iain, Firstly, the parking has reduced, but still is unacceptable, with many people ignoring the “Give Way” signs due to the parking. I see many people now demanding a public meeting on this area, which was predicted before Cheadle Royal was built.
As with the CMA issue, for once the community responded by saying enough! the parking has to stop and the planning application was withdrawn. Our community in Cheadle and Gatley needs to do the same and stop all this development. By the way the vast majority working in the business park do not come from local areas! We found this by asking the drivers on St Anns Rd North.
Hi John,
We’ll continue to look for ways to reduce parking on St Ann’s Road North. I’m glad that the situation has improved – it’s useful to know that the action we took has helped, though we always knew it wasn’t going to completely solve the issue.
I’m sure you’re right that most people working at the business park aren’t local – I’m guessing many local residents will have jobs in other places, no doubt with their own planning and development issues.
However, I think Stockport would be the poorer without employment opportunities locally, and without all the tax revenue they bring in, so there’s a balance to be struck.
Iain, I’d like you to add this notification onto the Facebook pages of Gatley and of Cheadle. I would like to see everyone getting involved in this as I’d like to explore some kind of group/mass involvement campaign/demonstration whatever it takes to get you and the other councillors to do something for the residents instead of just putting them down by saying the business park provides employment and tax revenue. For me, that hits a nerve and I’d like to see this whole issue brought into a wider area for discussion. Would you kindly mention this issue on Facebook, then. Or am I okay to copy and paste it there myself?
Chris,
This has been a difficult problem – it principally involves the Heald Green councillors as it’s in their ward, but clearly we’ve got an interest too.
We’ve had several public discussions at Area Committee meetings, meetings with MUSE (which I’ve reported back on), reports from officers proposing improvements and stories in our local leaflets. All this has been reported in leaflets and on this website.
We’ve always made very clear that, though of course there’s a balance to be struck anywhere and jobs and houses are important, we do not think there should be parking on St Anne’s Road North.
But to be absolutely clear, I’m happy to say it again: the Lib Dems have consistently said that business park employees should not be parking on St Anne’s Road North, we still hold that view and we continue to work to achieve that.
You’re welcome to post anything to the Facebook pages – I trust you won’t misrepresent my position in doing so.
I think the shuttle via from he east Didsbury metro link is a brilliant idea as this will also serve for locals to get to the tram as currently you have to get the x57 and then walk across.
Hi Alex,
I see a shuttle bus as a key part of the solution. There was one (at the time running from Stockport, Cheadle and Heald Green) and it was very popular. Although a regular bus service would be great, that would require Stagecoach or another company to want to run it – the shuttle bus was easier to implement.
Much to our frustration and despite being popular, it was dropped due to Muse and the businesses on the park being unable to agree on funding (as it was always part-subsidised).
I’d like to see either a shuttle bus or some other form of public transport back again, and linking to East Didsbury Metrolink sounds like an excellent idea to me. We’ll keep on pressing for that.
Cheers for the feedback Ian, good luck in securing the shuttle we are counting on you. 🙂
If pedestrian access to the business park from St Ann’s Rd was removed would this stop people parking there? It would seem that it is easy to park and walk through. It may not be liked by the residents but it is accepted that this is not an easy problem to solve.
Hi Mike, it may stop people parking there – but it would also stop residents using a very well used route for dog walking and over to Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Bruntwood Park. There may also be issues with closing off a legal right of way.
Iain – i appreciate your reply. My point was mainly about being able to expect and to enjoy a reasonable life here in the Lakes area of Gatley – a residential commumity where i have invested a considerable amount of money by choosing to live here. The coumcil did not tell me about the implications of the proposed CRBP development, that my quality of life might be affected by it. No one asked me for my views on it. So that’s my first point for suggestions on a new way of looking at the needs of community vs business. If there isn’t honest communication with the affected people you end up with all this hastle for years after.
#2 I don’t see how the jobs created in the CRBP have helped us locals as it would appear from the car parking issues that most of those working there do not live locally.
#3 Yes, it has helped the council’s tax income. I hope that wasn’t their primary decision factor.
#4 Traffic. Perhaps CRDP has led to an increase in traffic cutting between Gatley station and St.Ann’s Rd. Logic says probably, but whatever- something has got to be done to slow down the cars and vans in that area. I watched it this afternoon as the schools exited. Cars dashing to their pick up doing well over the 20 mph. Drivers on their phones. Parking across driveways. Can’t believe i’m saying this but could we please have a parking warden or a patrol car by Lum Head School between 3pm and 3:30.
Those are my thoughts so far, Iain. I hope my fellow residents will suggest many more new ways of looking at and balancing the needs of community vs business.
Reply to #18 RobertC > yes, but we aren’t in a democracy, are we. It’s all about money.
re #12 This is worth a second read >
As a St Ann’s Rd resident Ian, we have discussed this too often now, as each time it becomes worse. We elect councillors to fight these planning disasters. Now we need to fight the developers who do not care about local residents. Can we look forward to an urgent meeting with Mark Hunter involved! I might add the 20mph zone is totally ignored also on this rd! <
Is Mr Hunter aware? What is he doing about these issues? Can he do anything about it? Will he tell us what he is doing to support us on it? Start your clock. Let's see how long it takes for feedback to and from Westminster after this.
Its quite easy to solve create extra parking in the central area. It would even need much land as if the cars were perpendicular to the road hundreds of cars. This will not happen as ther are sign up trying to sell that space for more offices which will make parking even worse!!