Closure of car parking at Wilcot, near Pewsey

[MtB]

There was a boaters' meeting at the Barge in Honeystreet last Monday eveningat 7.30pm. One of the three items on the agenda was "closure of car parking facilities at Wilcot."

 

Unfortunately I was not free to attend. Did anyone here go? Presuably this agendum listing was to object to closure of car parking at Wilcot (just west of Pewsey) rather than to propose it.

 

There is a LOT of parking at Wilcot in at least two places and it would be a shame to lose any it. Does anyone here have any further details?

[dmr]

I think its the informal parking on the verge in the lane that runs right next to the canal. I also think its another case of a very familiar story... boaters piss off locals, locals decide they would rather not have boaters near to their houses and get council involved.

I am aware of some alleged anti-social behaviour from boaters but not sure if its true. There was some very serious overstaying by one very untidy boat last winter, almost right outside the cottage at the end, but otherwise it all looked reasonably ok to me. It is a nice place to stop for a week or so in the winter, deepish water, good car parking! some superb walking/dog walking in the nearby hills.

 

.............Dave

[Dinz]

Here we are chaps;- Source NBTA

 

 

To paul.oatway@wiltshire.gov.uk

easternhighways@wiltshire.gov.uk

 

cc

matthew.symonds@canalrivertrust.org.uk

mark.evans@canalrivertrust.org.uk

 

Dear Cllr Oatway

 

Proposal to restrict parking in Wilcot

 

This is a formal complaint in line with your complaints procedure. The

minutes of Wilcot and Huish (with Oare) Parish Council for 25th May 2016

state at paragraph 16/31 that a meeting was held with the Highways

Department on 23rd May 2016 and that:

 

16/31 To receive an update on parking next to the canal at Wilcot.

Cllr Nix reported that a productive meeting was held on 23 May 2016

between Parish Council, residents and a representative from Wiltshire

Council Highways department. The Estate manager has also been involved.

The proposal is to build up the bank along the north side of the road down

to Cannings Cottage, and allow the hedge to grow over it but not too far

to obstruct the carriage way. Some parking bays will be created on the

wider section to avoid pushing the parking problem elsewhere in the

village. The Estate have agreed to carry out the proposed works, but they

do not wish to use their own vehicles. It was proposed that Parish Council

hire a digger that they can use (see item 16/25). Another local landowner

has offered to donate hard-core to build up the bank. The highways

representative has said he is happy with this proposal; it was suggested

that we obtain written confirmation for our records.

 

This will have a significant adverse effect on boat dwellers. It will also

have an adverse effect on leisure boaters, anglers and other canal users

such as walkers, all of whom park their cars in the road to Cannings

Cottage in Wilcot in connection with their use of the Kennet and Avon

Canal.

 

The meeting on 23rd May with the Highways Department was held in secret.

Boaters, anglers and other canal users were not invited and their views

were not sought by any other method. This is despite the fact that boat

dwellers such as myself are residents of Wilcot while their boats are

moored there for 14 days.

 

Wilcot is one of the few places on the Kennet and Avon Canal east of

Devizes where the water is deep enough to moor a boat close to the bank

without having to put a plank across a gap of six feet or more. It is also

one of the few places where it is possible to get a vehicle close enough

to a boat to load and offload coal, wood or gas bottles safely. Boat

dwellers also park their vehicles in the road to Cannings Cottage because

it is away from most of the houses in the village.

 

Wilcot residents have made it known that they are opposed to boat dwellers

parking their vehicles in other roads in the village and have done so very

forcefully, putting fake parking notices on cars and damaging vehicles.

One Wilcot resident was prosecuted for damaging a car belonging to a boat

dweller (the boater's name can be provided on request). This is despite

the vehicles being parked on an unrestricted public highway without

obstructing traffic and with the correct tax and insurance. Because of

this harassment, boat dwellers now only park their vehicles in the road to

Cannings Cottage.

 

It is clear that the move to restrict parking in this road is simply a

device to clear boat dwellers out of Wilcot altogether. Although many boat

dwellers do not own cars, those who do, need them to get to work and/or

take their children to school in an area where public transport is scarce

and school transport cannot be used by children who travel to school from

a different place every 14 days.

 

Observation suggests that an average of ten cars are parked in the road to

Cannings Cottage on most days and sometimes more at weekends. The Parish

Council minutes do not refer to any traffic surveys carried out in the

area. The provision of “some parking bays” will not meet this need unless

“some” means in excess of ten. Unless this is done, narrowing the road

verge will have the effect of pushing the majority of the canal users who

need to park vehicles in Wilcot out of this road and into parking on the

other roads in the village. Notwithstanding the fact that boat dwellers

object in the strongest of terms to being labelled a “problem”, this is

likely to result in significantly increased levels of vandalism and damage

to vehicles parked in Wilcot regardless of who they belong to. It is also

likely to result in increased harassment of and hostility to boat dwellers

locally. This would be a significant retrograde step considering the

progress made to dispel the hostility to boat dwellers and build better

relationships between canal users and canalside villages that was achieved

by the meetings that took place between Wilcot Parish Council, Pewsey

Community Area Partnership, Canal & River Trust and boat dwellers over the

period 2013 to 2015.

 

To remedy my complaint please ensure that:

 

1. Sufficient parking space is made available in Wilcot to accommodate the

average number of canal users' vehicles as stated above.

 

2. It is made clear that the harassment of anyone who parks a legal, taxed

vehicle without obstructing the highway is a criminal offence.

 

3. It is made clear that vandalism of and damage to vehicles are criminal

offences.

 

Thank you. I look forward to your reply.

 

Yours sincerely,

Edited August 15, 2016 by Dinz

[MtB]

What an excellently drafted email.

 

Thanks for posting, Dinz

[14skipper]

Not knowing this location,can someone explain why sufficient parking has to be made for boaters to park their cars ?

 

14Skipper

[MtB]

Not knowing this location,can someone explain why sufficient parking has to be made for boaters to park their cars ?

 

14Skipper

 

 

Nobody is asking for sufficient car parking space to be made for boaters.

 

Sufficent space currently exists, and the proposal is to take it away.

[magpie patrick]

Boaters are entitled to object to a proposed traffic regulation order, they can do so on any grounds they chose, however an objection on the grounds that they will be directly affected and the order isn't necessary (e.g road safety isn't compromised) is likely to be given significant weight.

 

It's a public highway, it isn't reserved for the use of anyone in particular

[Mike Todd]

 

 

Nobody is asking for sufficient car parking space to be made for boaters.

 

Sufficent space currently exists, and the proposal is to take it away.

My recollection, confirmed by Google street view, is that the verge is only just wide enough to take a car and that sometimes parked vehicles do protrude into the highway.

 

On the other hand, the long standing problem is that many parts of the K&A pass through 'nice' places that are often not full sympathetic, shall we say, to those who attempt to make a permanent way of life on the canal without having to find an official mooring. It was clear to me when I last passed that way (we moored overnight near there so I did take a walkabout hence why i can recall the location) that quite a few of the cars parked there are associated with people using them to go to and from work, with their boats frequently moored opposite. There are relatively few similar places in the vicinity which means that there is a great temptation for such boaters to push the continuous cruising definition to its limits.

 

As with other debates about mooring on the K&A, the roots of the matter are generally to be found in economics. Housing in this part of the country is generally is often out of the reach of lower paid people who then look for alternatives to couch surfing.

 

The reactions of local people are often similar to those around the Brexit debate: people don't want to be caught saying what they really think but thinly disguise using something thought to be more morally acceptable - in this case whether or not the parking spaces are safe, or even 'tidy'.

 

I feel for the poor council officials who have to exercise the judgement of Solomon - except that in this case the scales of justice are not blindfolded.

[14skipper]

 

 

Nobody is asking for sufficient car parking space to be made for boaters.

 

Sufficent space currently exists, and the proposal is to take it away.

 

Here we are chaps;- Source NBTA

 

 

To paul.oatway@wiltshire.gov.uk

easternhighways@wiltshire.gov.uk

 

cc

matthew.symonds@canalrivertrust.org.uk

mark.evans@canalrivertrust.org.uk

 

 

 

To remedy my complaint please ensure that:

 

1. Sufficient parking space is made available in Wilcot to accommodate the

average number of canal users' vehicles as stated above.

 

 

 

[magpie patrick]

see my comments below

In fairness. the bit you quote

 

 

1. Sufficient parking space is made available in Wilcot to accommodate the

average number of canal users' vehicles as stated above.

 

 

is in response to a demand that parking bays be created and parking prohibted except where there are parking bays, so it isn't asking for an increase in provision, but for any formalising of the provision to provide for the existing demand

Edited August 16, 2016 by magpie patrick

[MtB]

I'd estimate that yesterday evening when I drove along that lane there were at least 20 vehicles parked along it. Mostly an assortment of commercial vans and far more than there are boats moored.

 

So I'm not sure what is going on but I'm not sure boaters' vehicles are the whole of the problem.

 

Although boaters really don't help themselves. 9.30pm and there was at least one engine still running.