Author Archives: admin

Planning Applications – introduction

Many residents want to know about planning applications under consideration for properties in their area.

From today, I’ll post planning application information when I receive it.

There’s a spearate page for Planning Applications. In the cntre column, under What’s Inside, see Planning Applications.

If you have comments or objections to what is being planned, they must be received by the Vale within that period. More info on how to submit comments is very clearly displayed on the Vale website (using the link inside each area).

I’ll review these Planning Applications postings periodically and take them down after the decision has been made by the Vale Planning department.

Please let me know if you’d like to see anything else.

Free Car Parking in Abingdon – the 5 minute decision

After less than 5 minutes of debate and consideration of the complexities of financing this scheme, the 5 conservative members of the Vale cabinet decided to provide free 2hr car parking for well-off car drivers who want to park in Abingdon town centre.This was despite a strong recommendation from the financial officers that the scheme not be adopted.

They also decided to raise residents’ parking permit fees, commuters’ permit fees, and fees to park longer than 2 hours.

But the main source of funding for this £1,000,000 will be the new homes bonus reserves. These are the funds paid to the Vale by large developers to support and enhance the community infrastructure where they are building swathes of new homes.

So, no new playgounds, no youth centres, no community halls for over-populated neighbourhoods in exchange for the well-off car drivers having 2 hours of free parking while they shop.

I find this annoying, to say the least.

It’s too late to convince the Tories not to do it. All we can do is ask the hard questions:

  1. How much is this costing and how is the cost being re-couped?
  2. What metrics are in place to measure the effectiveness of this free car parking on the vitality of the town centre?

Email, write, or ring them up. Let them know how you feel about this.

Free Car Parking – I wrote a letter

I wrote a letter to the Vale of White Horse cabinet, urging them to reconsider their plans for free car parking in Abingdon.

Here’s what I said:

Dear Matthew,

I’m writing to members of the VoWH Cabinet to encourage you to decide against free car parking in Abingdon.

I represent the people of North Hinksey & Wytham ward. We’re about as remote from Abingdon as can be, and few of us ever venture into Abingdon town centre. As a result, this proposal offers us no benefits, and will probably result in cuts to services that DO affect us, to offset the income lost from car parking charges. For example, discontinuing Unvaled to save some money — that newsletter is delivered to every household in the Vale — it benefits everyone!

I read the recently published report where the financial officer “strongly recommends against” the proposed free parking, for several reasons. These reasons alone support the fiscally responsible decision to abandon the proposed free parking for Abingdon.

If there is no evidence that free car parking improves footfall in town centres, and there is no fiscally responsible plan to make up for the lost income (approx £1,000,000 over the term of this council), and it benefits only a few residents (those who drive their cars into Abingdon), I can’t see the case for proceeding with this.

Taking action that is opposed to the financial officer’s strong recommendation against this proposal is dangerous to our finances, and will damage the reputation of your Conservative legacy in the Vale. It benefits a small group, by small amounts of money, but represents a very large ongoing expense in these times of central cuts to council income streams.

Please don’t do it. Don’t risk your legacy by taking a first big decision based on mis-guided ideas that benefit a few, cost too much and won’t help in the longer term.

Cllr Debby Hallett

www.debbyhallett.mycouncillor.org.uk

01865 435794

Take a few minutes and send your thoughts to the Vale Cabinet. There emails are in the post linked to in Related Reading, just below.

Related reading: Free Car Parking – recommend against