Prinsted man proposes using his field as overflow car park to ease pressure on village

Peter Yeates wants to provide 54 car parking spaces on the field opposite his home, which up until now has been used as a paddock for two horses.

The 64-year-old said it would be a solution to the ‘havoc’ wreaked by visitors to the beauty spot parking in the village.

He said: “Over the summer and the lockdown the foreshore down here has been absolutely rammed with cars.

“The cars have been blocking the lanes through the village, blocking our drives, blocking lanes for emergency access and creating havoc.”

He launched a 28-day trial last Monday and has been monitoring the use.

On the first day it was used by 30 cars, while on the second day it was used by 74 with up to 38 cars parked at a time.

If the field was not in use, he said all these drivers would be parking in the village, adding: “There’s no alternative.”

Mr Yeates has issued a letter to all residents letting them know of his proposals and is urging them to contact both him and the parish council with their comments.

“Not all residents are in favour of what I’m doing,” he said, adding: “By and large, most of them are.”

Following the trial, he intends to seek planning permission for the car park which, if approved, could be ready for use by March.

While parking during the trial is free, Mr Yeates plans to charge £1 for the first hour, £3 for the morning and £5 for the day going forward.

He said a significant amount of the money generated would be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in memory of his late daughter, Lucy Anne Yeates, a ‘beautiful, active girl’ who died aged 25 in 2018.

Mr Yeates is also planning to use part of the field as a secure dog walking field.

Owners would be charged £10 an hour to bring up to three dogs in the area, which would feature a shelter, picnic tables and water trough for the dogs.

He said: “There’s lots and lots of dog walkers that come down here. They want their dogs to run freely which is not allowed on the foreshore because of the wildlife.”

Chairman Jonathan Brown said Southbourne Parish Council was aware of the car parking trial but said it had not endorsed or supported the plans, adding: “We are expecting a formal proposal for additional (chargeable) temporary car parking to come before our Planning Committee in due course.

“We will of course respond fully when we have seen the details of any planning application.”

Mr Brown added: “The Parish Council is acutely aware of the pressure on Prinsted residents that has got much worse over the last few months, no doubt increased by the COVID-19 lockdown and greater publicity.

“We have been working closely with our District and County Councillors, Chichester Harbour Conservancy and the Police as well as local residents to try to come up with a range of short and long term measures we can take that might help ease the pressure.

“We will shortly be carrying out a survey of residents to test local opinion on a variety of options.

“If there was an easy solution it would already have been pursued, but we are determined to see what we can do to improve things for the long term benefit of residents and local wildlife.”