Rye’s main carpark underused

Visitors are often unaware that there is a short footpath crossing the railway line that provides quick and easy access to the town.

Now members of the Rye Highways Forum have asked the Town Council to look at installing new signage directing car park users.

They are also considering asking the Highways Authority to provide advance notice of parking availability at Gibbet Marsh further up Udimore Road, in the vicinity of the new Valley Park estate.

Former Rye councillor Frank Palmer has said that shortly after the car park was established Gibbet Marsh regularly attracted 100 - 200 vehicles but the parking charge then was significantly lower.

A few years back Cllr Mike Even and Cllr Ian Potter sent a parking review report to Rother District Council saying that parking charges need to come down. This was ignored by Rother.

Rye Town Council agreed in principal to fund additional direction signs within the car park and the Clerk is looking into obtaining costs.

But councillors were unhappy about providing additional signage at Udimore Road saying they did not see why the Town Council should fund this while Rother was taking all the revenue from car parks in Rye.

The council said that allocating an area of the car park for permit holders could help prevent traders from routinely overstaying in on-street parking bays, which would free up more parking for shoppers.