Northumberland coastal village set to abandon idea of residents' parking scheme

The idea had been under consideration by Alnmouth Parish Council for several months.

Residents are currently unable to park in several of the village’s narrow streets so the council considered whether a scheme allowing them to park on Northumberland Street could be introduced.

However, councillors have now come to the conclusion that it is unlikely to secure the public backing required.

Northumberland County Council (NCC) require 70 per cent ‘buy-in’ from residents in the area identified for a residents’ parking scheme before they will proceed.

Cllr Ed Williams explained: "We’re faced with a bit of an unusual situation in Alnmouth. Normally when residents ask for a parking scheme it’s to enable them to park on their own street. That’s not the case here.

"These residents don’t have parking because the streets don’t allow it; they are too narrow for vehicular access. So, in this case they are looking to park on someone else’s street.

"If 70 per cent of the residents of Northumberland Street have to vote in favour as well as those on the streets requesting the parking then it’s a non-starter.

"The only people who want parking are on those streets where parking isn’t possible. So we have a dilemma and I can’t really see a scheme that we can propose that would elicit a 70 per cent positive response. The only way I can see it working is if those streets where the parking bays are placed are not involved and don’t have a vote but that’s unlikely to be approved.”

He felt that it would be a waste of money and council officers’ time to further investigate the feasibility of the project when a positive response from local residents was unlikely.

Parish councillors remain open to reconsidering the matter if there is a significant call for it from local residents.

But chairman Shaun Whyte added: “I also think we would really struggle to reach the 70 per cent threshold. Perhaps we should draw a line under it? We could have one last stab at reporting that and if that doesn’t generate a lot of interest we let it die.”

Support your Gazette and become a subscriber today. With a digital subscription you get access to the ad-lite version of our website, meaning you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times and get all of the headlines you need with fewer distractions. The Northumberland Gazette has been serving the county since 1854, and your support means we can continue telling your stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe.