
Bromley Update – June Newsletter
20th June 2020
Gas Pipe Replacement work – Woodland Way
20th June 2020
News Release
The three ward councillors for West Wickham Ward Councillors Nicholas Bennett JP, Mark Brock and the Mayor of Bromley Cllr Hannah Gray have written to Gareth Bacon AM MP in his capacity as Greater London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley to protest at the removal of parking bays in West Wickham High Street without consulting local business, residents and the elected councillors.
Councillor Nicholas Bennett said:
“The first we knew of any changes was an email on Friday from Bromley’s Head of Transport that Transport for London was planning changes but without details of what they were.
On Tuesday we received an email from Zoe Murphy at TfL community partnership informing us of the changes. Neither we, the Council or local businesses and residents have been consulted. We recognise the need to make social distancing possible and we accept that there may need to remove a number of bays on one side of the street where the pavement is narrow outside 6-16 High Street (Cafe Talis), however we are very concerned that these changes will impact businesses on the High Street just at that the time when the Government is encouraging people to shop again. It will also adversely affect disabled people with a Blue Badge. Has any equality assessment been made as required by law? The 20 minute free parking has proved enormously beneficial for the quick shop and the loss of loading bays will make deliveries very difficult on this Red Route”.
The changes are supposedly ‘temporary’ but the email talks of the scheme being part of a ‘wider programme’ and we suspect that this is a precursor to making them they become permanent.
We have asked Gareth Bacon to take this matter up with TfL and request that they halt the changes consult ‘local stakeholders’ as they quaintly describe us.
ENDS
For further information contact Cllr Nicholas Bennett JP 0777 444 6763
2 Comments
If these removal of high street parking are temporary measures. Allow 30 minutes free parking in the main paying car park .
Apart from social distancing this looks like an ongoing policy for parking for electric cars only. Unfortunately at present electric cars are not practical because of their charging times. Once these charging times have been drastically reduced and electric cars are affordable than we would be in full support of this policy. In the mean time don’t put obstacles in the way of our local business with parking restrictions.