A consultation meeting to hear public views on a car park to alleviate the traffic congestion on Armathwaite Bridge met with mixed emotions this week, both for and against.
Around 70 people gathered on the proposed site at Holme Holt beside the Bridge for the meeting called by Ainstable Parish Council, and led by their chairman Nigel Vear who set out the objectives, including enhanced access to the busy footpaths.
First on the agenda was a declaration by PPM Ltd, the new owner of the adjacent property Armathwaite Manor (formerly known as The Place) which has popular riverside footpaths across its land.
Their managing director Gordon McGregor assured locals the paths would be updated and made much more user-friendly. He said: “We’re going to carry out a lot of maintenance on the paths to make them safer and better for the people of Armathwaite to continue to enjoy.”
Next Mr Vear explained the Holme Holt project had been discussed by Ainstable Parish Council for four years, and said: “Anybody who lives locally and uses the Bridge knows there are traffic problems with parked cars, and what we are down to is – we need to clear the bridge.
“We have spoken to Cumbria County Council who told us we have to provide free off-road parking, they are reluctant to apply double yellow lines across the Bridge, but we would hope to see parking restrictions with a series of signs.
“We are not interested in a supermarket car park, we don’t envisage lighting the area, there will be circa 45 spaces, the boundary of the car park will mirror the local fields with a stock fence and a hedge planted with native species, and Ainstable Parish Council would be responsible for the maintenance.”
One person said: “You will be encouraging a lot of people to come here, what are your plans for public toilets?” The chairman said there are already 30 cars parked on the Bridge without toilets.
A local farmer argued the cars currently parked on the Bridge act as a traffic calming effect, and removing them would create a much faster flow of traffic down and across the Bridge. He said: “I regularly travel across the Bridge with a loaded cattle trailer, there is plenty width for three cars and that is a fact – how much more room do you want?”
A local businesswoman asked if there had been a traffic survey carried out, and said she had carried out her own survey over three years and 30 cars at any one time parked on the Bridge is a myth: “I have photographic evidence these numbers you are talking about just aren’t there and I’d be happy to share those details with you.”
Another said there’s rarely more than 25 cars on the Bridge so 45 new spaces will solve that parking problem: “But you will get more people coming and that’s what I worry about.”
A local farmer’s wife said: “It’s an accident waiting to happen, we travel the Bridge from both sides for agricultural purposes and there’s some days we can’t get through because of cars parked from one pub right across to the other.
“Unfortunately, it’s the fine weather that brings people here, and it’s the fine weather when us farmers are going to be doing jobs that need big machinery passing through there.”
Another local resident added: “There would be no point building this car park without putting parking restrictions on the Bridge.”
Mr Vear concluded Ainstable Parish Council would welcome further comments to ainstable.org.uk/wp/parish-council/holme-holt/ or clerk@ainstable.org.uk
PPM Ltd is a Cumbria-based property maintenance business now moving into holiday lets. PPM are applying for planning permission to convert Armathwaite Manor to luxury flats.
