Council U-turn on parking problems

By [jhayward]

FURY has turned to joy for residents of a Gillingham street plagued by parking problems, thanks to a county council U-turn.

Residents of Oake Woods were disappointed in October last year when Dorset county councillors rejected appeals to put parking restrictions in place in their street. The new-build estate, which adjoins Lower Station Road, is crammed each day by rail commuters parking for free and causing irritation for residents who often cannot park outside their own homes.

Despite there being a long-stay car park less than 300m away at Chantry Fields, which charges just 90p per day, the county council's roads and right of way committee feared the loss of free parking would deter commuters from using the train.

But that decision was overturned at a committee meeting in November when councillors voted unanimously to extend yellow lines in Station Road along Oake Woods.

The committee's minutes said: "The request from residents to extend the yellow lines would prevent most of the all-day commuter parking but would allow parking by residents during the evenings and on Sundays."

Councillor David Milstead, of Gillingham Town Council, North Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council, welcomed the move.

He said: "I was greatly helped by a resident of Oake Woods who emailed me photographs of the road in December, when parked cars on both sides stopped the district council's refuse truck getting through. I am happy to report the committee approved both schemes unanimously and yellow lines should go down soon."