Residents say ‘no’ to parking charges in Lindfield as petition gets more than 1,500 signatures

The ‘Say NO to Parking Charges in Lindfield’ campaign was started by resident Helen Cridge, of Compton Road, following proposals from Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC).

Lindfield Parish Council announced on Thursday, March 20, that MSDC had approached Parish Councils in Lindfield, Cuckfield, Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common to seek their views on potential changes to parking regimes, including the introduction of charges in Lindfield. People can see the petition at www.change.org/p/say-no-to-parking-charges-in-lindfield.

Helen said: “The proposed car parking charges will affect my and my family’s daily life. I walk my children into school every morning and increasingly we are seeing poor parking on yellow lines and on pavements (sometimes blocking our way through). With the impending car parking charges, this will only be exacerbated. Especially as there has been no investment in traffic enforcement. We also have no lollipops men and women to help us across very busy roads.”

Helen is concerned that increased bad parking could create hazardous conditions for children who walk to school.

She said the number of people who signed the petition shows ‘how passionate the local community of Lindfield is to protect its vibrant high street as well as the safety of its residents’. She has thanked all those that took the time to sign it.

The petition webpage said parking charges would have ‘a detrimental impact’ on the community, businesses and visitors. It said: “Currently, all the carparks in Lindfield are used by parents during school and nursery runs. Scrapping free parking and instating longer-stay parking will exacerbate current issues of poor parking on local roads (due to increased population) in Lindfield, particularly during term times when parents are trying to drop off and collect children from school and several pre-schools.”

Helen’s petition argues that residents should be able to park ‘within reasonable distance to their homes’. Helen said: “Implementing parking charges in council-run carparks, even for shorter visits, will increase the demand for space on nearby roads which are free.”

She said taxpayers should not allow councils to implement schemes that ‘do not have a tangible benefit’, adding that councils should instead invest in areas that support the local community.

Her petition continued: “Businesses in Lindfield depend on footfall from the village and surrounding areas, as well as visitors from farther afield to continue to thrive. With increased business costs, any drop in footfall will have an immediate adverse effect. Empty shops will deter visitors – another vital lifeline for local trade.” She said: “We must protect the safety of local residents, school children and ensure our high street continues to thrive.”

Helen’s petition also expressed concern for more vulnerable people in the village. She said: “There is a high proportion of older residents in the local community who require easy access to Lindfield Medical Centre. Making parking cheap in the Tollgate carpark, and removing the current time-limited hours, would encourage all-day parking and take up space for patients who need to access medical services in Lindfield.”

Mid Sussex District Council was approached for a response but is unable to make a comment at this time.