Consent not given

ON PAGE 7 of the Bognor Regis Observer last week, you had a piece '˜Parking meter could be installed'. This was not an informed or accurate article.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Jan 2012, 11:32 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 20:08 BST

The parking ticket machine and cone were installed in November 2011 WITHOUT PLANNING PERMISSION.

Previously under the last owners there was a two-hour free parking period before charges which allowed local people to support dwindling local shops by shopping in Barnham as opposed to Tesco Bognor etc. The result and local response to the new illegal parking charges in November and December was a boycott of the car park. This resulted in Barnham shops losing significant trade, including the main Co-op store. Another side-effect was gridlock dangerous parking on the mail road.

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Locals soon learnt to avoid Barnham for shopping and go elsewhere.

Now we learn that there was no planning permission for the meter! You can see that your report was misleading. There is now a swell of local support to object to the planning permission: objections need to be with Arun district Council by February 2.

Not only is there a good local story to support local shops in this recession but maybe we could get a return of free parking short term. Your story would more accurately have been ‘Illegal parking machine upsets Barnham shoppers’.

A Marriner

Eastergate

Related topics:BarnhamPlanning permissionBognorTesco