It’s clear that car parking in Easingwold has reached a crisis point and it’s time we found a solution. The town is often log-jammed with cars whose drivers leave their vehicles there all day, often because they are commuting into York. This means there are few spaces available for shoppers. This has the knock-on effect of making it less likely that they use the local shops, which is not only an inconvenience to them, but also bad for the town’s economy.
In a Neighbourhood Plan survey conducted by Easingwold Town Council in 2015, 73% of respondents were in favour of a free disk parking scheme, something the MP supports. I now have had several meetings with Easingwold Town Council Chairman and Mayor, Peter Nottage and with Hambleton District Council and North Yorkshire County Council to discuss the issue.
Mr Nottage said "I very much welcome the intervention of our local MP to help us find a solution to what is a growing problem in our Town Centre. The Town Council supports the continuation of free parking and would welcome a scheme that provides for a mix of both long and short stay parking opportunities, subject to the views of residents and local businesses”.
We have agreed that a new consultation will be held early in the New Year subject to the Town Council finding suitable funding. If the idea of a disc scheme proves acceptable to local residents, it would be implemented in 2020.
