Lack of parking in Thatcham's High Street

Growing night-time economy impacting residents parking

THATCHAM’s growing night-time economy is proving to be a double-edged sword.

That claim came in response to an email from a resident in High Street saying that they were concerned about the high level of development that had taken place in the town centre without additional parking provision.

Reading the resident’s concerns at a meeting of Thatcham Town Council’s planning and environment committee last week, technical consultant Chris Watts said that parking in the area was becoming an issue for residents and businesses.

Mr Watts said that West Berkshire Council’s view was that the High Street was not eligible for residential parking provision but parking permits were supposed to guarantee residents somewhere to park.

He said it had long been the policy that planning permission was granted for shops and restaurants on the assumption that customers would use public parking spaces.

“This has a knock-on effect on residents who have been using these public spaces,” he said.

He added that the evening culture of the town, including the opening of new restaurants, was having an impact on parking in the area.

Lee Dillon (Lib Dem, Thatcham north) said that people should weigh up the parking provision in the area before they purchased a property in the town centre.

“We should be supporting the allocation of the these bays to support businesses in the town and not residential parking,” he said.