Thursday 2 October 2008

Cattle Market Car Park to CLOSE!

Although not the best car parking facility in town, the cattle market car park usually contains 40 to 50 cars a day.  Some are shop staff and others are 'short stop' shoppers.

News that this privately owned facility is to be closed from 9 am on Sunday until further notice is yet another blow to the already struggling retail centre.  It will also impact on the parking available for Applefest and the Mistletoe Fayre.

Malvern Hills District Council have consistently refused to make their car park behind the library free of charge, even though the cost of running and enforcing the ticketing system makes the car park 'revenue natural'.

Although the fees are not very high by national standards,  if all you want to do is post a letter, then they add considerably to the postage cost!

If you have concerns about this or any other local issue, the District Councillors Phil Grove and Tony Penn are available, (by appointment) this Friday from 5.30 to 6.30 in the library.  Call in to book an appointment or phone 01684 862 151.


33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know the reasons why its going to close ?May be it is going to be re-surfaced ,its going to be a nightmare to park anywhere in the town

Anonymous said...

GET THE FARMERS TO BUY IT BACK OFF MR CHASE AND USE IT FOR WHAT IT ORIGINALLY WAS BUILT FOR A CATTLE MARKET. ALSO GET THE HOLLY SALES BACK THERE

Anonymous said...

What about the entrance that leads up to the cattle market will that be closed off as well

@WR15 said...

As far as I can find out a member of the public complained about their car being damaged by pot-holes. Mr Chase therefore decided that as he owns the ground privately and is there liable for any liability the best option is to close it. I believe he will accept £1.4M for the site if anyone has any loose change available.

Anonymous said...

We are very lucky to have had the free use of this car park for so long. The surface is not very good, but you can't expect the owner to pay for resurfacing, then let us use it for free. Why don't the Town Council rent it, improve the surface, and reopen it? Money should be readily available, provided it is part of an arts project.

Anonymous said...

In Ludlow it is free to park in the evening. In Tenbury it costs £1.50. Why?

Anonymous said...

I cannot understand why Mr Chase does not resurface it and charge for parking ,he would make a fortune.There is already a parking meter on site .I would police it for him ! People who are in the cattle yard and pay rent have also be asked to leave .Ithink there is more to it than people think

@WR15 said...

I would guess that to turn it into an 'official' car park would probably require planning permission and a change of use. Knowing the planning department, they may well turn it down. Car Parks in major towns make money, but the cost of proper surfacing is in excess of £50m2 so would be tens if not hundreds of thousands. People in Tenbury are reluctant to pay for parking so the investment would take many decades to recoup by which time the surface would have worn out. I did hear that the Temeside House sale had finally reached conclusion. Perhaps there is a link?

Anonymous said...

Why would you need planning permission its always been a car-park so change of use is wouldnt be an issue

@WR15 said...

You are probably correct. My view is probably jaded from dealing with MHDC and finding that they appear to make up rules to suit themselves, and if you try to challenge them they invite you to do so in the High Court at your expense.

Anonymous said...

Im sure if you take Tescos to the high court and win MHDC would be no problem .With 30m in your back pocket from the sale of Tyrells it would be a drop in the ocean for him to resurface it ,as long as he has a sign up Parking at your own risk how can anybody claim of him

Anonymous said...

WR15 WHY DONT U BUY IT?

@WR15 said...

I can't find anyone who has had contact with Mr C lately. I did hear that he was in town recently and a passing tractor tore the side out of his Rolls, so perhaps he is fed up with Tenbury and has decided to take his £Ms elsewhere. Can't say I blame him. What we need now is a White Knight developer who can raise the cash and redevolop the site. Not so easy in the current climate.

Anonymous said...

If Mr Chase cannot get planning permission for anything farmers market etc Retail development refused some years ago,housing developers turned down i cannot see anyone in there right mind touching the place

Anonymous said...

this is my property i can do what i like with it

insurance is the poblem health and safey is the other

Anonymous said...

What is the Council doing to provide 75 replacement parking spaces? Or are they going to sit on their hands and watch Tenbury's traders suffer yet another blow? You can't blame the owner of the cattle market - but you can blame the Council for failing to make alternative provision, they always knew the spaces at the cattle market would 'vanish' one day. What have Tenbury's District Councillors done about this? Have they had a meeting with the site owner?

Anonymous said...

Why cant you blame the owner ?.What has he done since he acquired it NOTHING!Even the holly sales had to be moved why?

@WR15 said...

I thought the Holly & Mistletoe sale was moved because Severn Trent were using part of the Cattle Market as a site office and transfer station during their Church Street sewage pumping station redevelopment. You couldn't really lay out the goods to be sold with Tractors & Trailers and Lorries crossing the yard.

@WR15 said...

It appears that prior to the Sale of the site to Chase Tenbury LLP, there was an application in 1999 for additional retail development and a car park which was turned down. Then in 2002 an application for 50+ houses which was susequently withdrawn. I think Chase Tenbury LLP aquired the site in 2004 and in 2006 they applied for permission to "Re-cladding and alteration to sheep building for farmers' produce market, including toilets, cold store, cladding of calf and cattle sales building with change of use to offices of part ground floor of former fire station." This was approved, so what happened next (or didn't) is the mystery.

Anonymous said...

Im sure it could have been postponed for 6 days for the holly sale to go ahead Its only been there for 100 years!

Anonymous said...

SELL IT BACK TO THE FARMERS

Anonymous said...

1.4 MILLION THATS MORE THAN DOUBLE HE PAID FOR IT

@WR15 said...

Malvern Hills District Council's development policy for this site is.
POLICY EP18 - Tenbury Cattle Market / Teme Street
Proposals for the redevelopment or alternative use of the Tenbury Cattle Market Site and premises fronting Teme Street will be required to demonstrate that:-

development will support, complement and enhance the overall retail vitality and the continued economic viability of Tenbury Town Centre;

appropriate pedestrian links and signage will be provided to encourage pedestrian movement between the site and Tenbury Town Centre as a whole;

safe and efficient arrangements for the management of traffic which minimise potential conflict between vehicles and pedestrians (having particular regard to the provision of access arrangements for service vehicles entering the site from Teme Street);

consideration has been given to the enhancement of the site’s frontages with Teme Streetand the River Teme (including enhancement of the River Teme riverside walk andconnections to it);

development accords with the advice of the Environment Agency and includes measures to minimise flood risk.

Redevelopment or alternative use of the site for retail, commercial, recreation, leisure and community uses, either singly or as a mixed use proposal will accord with the site’s location within the boundary of Tenbury Town Centre. However, proposals for all forms of acceptable development and specifically retail development will be required to be of a scale appropriate to the needs and capacity of the location and should not undermine sustainable transport objectives.

@WR15 said...

MHDC also said:-

"Any redevelopment or alternative use of the site will need to pay due regard to car parking requirements associated with the proposed development and wider car parking pressures within the Town as whole."

The planning Inspector also commented:

"...the sites clearly critical function in providing valuable extra off-street parking provision"

Anonymous said...

Best leave it as it is then ,a total eyesore to the entrance of the town .Or turn it into a carpark which would support complement and enhance the overall retail vitality and viability of the town centre.We all no parking is poor anyway ,no parking = no tourist =closed shops it needs to be sorted NOW

Anonymous said...

£1.4m is a bit less than twice what he paid for it.

Anonymous said...

What did Tesco's consultants say about the site when Malvern Hills District Council got them to do the Conservation Area report?

Anonymous said...

Some people have estimated 5,ooo people could come to the applefest .Teme street could resemble the M6 that day

Anonymous said...

5000 people at Applefest?
If the population of Tenbury Wells is 3796 and if half go to Applefest, it follows that if 5000 people do attend, over 3000 will be from further away.
If all the Tenbury people walk, and if all the non-Tenbury people come by car (neither is really true, but they might cancel each other out) then over 3000 people will come by car. If there are 3 people in each car, at least 1000 parking spaces will be needed. Where?

@WR15 said...

I have always thought the 5,000 figure was a bit high, but in view of the congestion at the very successful Tenbury Show with an estimated 10,000 visitors I have been asking various "officials" about parking provision for months. It seems that overflow parking provision is available on grass, so lets hope for a dry period leading up to the day.
It also appears that the "marketing" of the event has subtly shifted to an event for locals with a new tag-line of "Come out and support the Town"

Anonymous said...

whats it been like today parking ?

@WR15 said...

The Car Park appeared to be open today? Any idea what is happening.

Anonymous said...

I think the gates were open by some car enthuiasts who like to do hand brake turns late on friday ,nobody can be bothered to close them so open they remain