Agenda and minutes

Registration, refreshments and opportunity to look at display material and ask questions of Highways staff.

Introduction from event host – Cllr Seed.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to Melksham Town Hall for the public consultation to discuss the future of lorry parking in Melksham, he advised that the aim of the meeting was to get the views and opinions of the attendees and for the Area Board members to try and agree on an outcome that suited everybody.

There were no apologies.

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial

interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Andrew Jack (Wiltshire Council) gave a brief overview of the feedback from the survey that local residents had been invited to take part in.

The key points of the report on Feasibility Study of the Lorry Park will be presented – Parvis Khansari, Wiltshire Council

ParvisKhansari (Highways Department, Wiltshire Council) advised that it was important that the Area Board members heard the views of the local residents and then made the right decisions so that things could move forward, he then introduced Kirsty Williams (Mouchel) who outlined the key points with a power point presentation of the feedback from survey resulting from issues raised by residents living near the King St car park.

Points made included:

• Key Survey Findings

• Approx 50% local unoccupied lorries.

• Non-local lorries directed to King Street by local businesses.

• Most lorries arriving between 3.30pm -6pm but some arrivals between 8pm and 3am.

• Most lorries depart between 5am-7am but departures as early as 3.30am.

The Chairman thanked Parvis Khansari and Kirsty Williams for their input.

Discussion on the future of lorry parking in Melksham.

The Chairman invited the Area Board members and attendees to express their opinions and points of view concerning the lorry park and possible locations that it could be re-sited at.

Points made by Area Board members included:

• It was vital that an outcome was found that suited all residents, there was no point in moving the problem from one residential area to another.

•  King Street is unsuitable for lorry parking, there is a good argument for a purpose built lorry park in the Melksham area.

• The King Street lorry park could not be closed over night, there were traffic regulation orders that would have to be observed if was closed.

• Members were satisfied with the Mouchel report.

• Commercial vehicles should be made to pay to park as car/motorcycle users do.

Points made from the floor included:

• The King Street lorry park was an inappropriate site with inappropriate use.

• Why couldn’t part of the George Ward site be used for lorry parking.

• The Leekes car park had suffered from anti-social behaviour issues in the past.

• The Bath Road car park would make a better lorry park, it already had toilets and would only need a shower block to be built.

• There should not be a lorry park situated near any residential areas of Melksham.

• Why are lorries parking in King Street for free, in Chippenham they had to pay.

• Bowerhill Industrial Estate could be used if the main roads on the site were marked for lorry parking, a toilet/shower block would need to be built, use of these facilities and any payments could be operated from the security building situated on the estate.

• Hampton Park had the potential to site around forty lorries and was non-residential.

• King Street residents health was affected on a daily basis, the lorry park needed to close as soon as possible.

• Close King Street and lorries would park on the streets of Melksham.

The Chairman thanked everybody for their input in the discussion.

The Chairman presented the results of the voting carried out by the public in attendance using the handheld voting equipment.

The results were:

• Where do you live? – close to Leekes, Beanacre Road – 57%, close to King Street – 27%, elsewhere in Melksham town – 12%, elsewhere in the Melksham community area – 4% and elsewhere – 0%.

• Are you here as a.. – 92% local resident.

• Should Wiltshire Council close the King Street car park to lorries as soon as possible? – 90% yes.

• Should Wiltshire Council establish an alternative lorry park to King Street in the Melksham Area if the problem persists? – 88% no.

• Do you consider the Leekes site to be a suitable alternative site? – 96% no.

The Chairman thanked the public in attendance for taking part in the interactive vote.

Cllr Seed briefly summarised what the residents of King Street and Beanacre Road wanted from the meeting, Area Board members then voted on the way forward.

Note

Cllr Steve Petty requested that his vote against the recommendation was recorded.

Decision

• Melksham Area Board accepted the opinions of Melksham residents and called on the Cabinet members of Wiltshire Council to take notice and to close with immediate action the King Street Lorry park to all commercial vehicles.

• That there should be no decision to relocate the lorry park within the town.

Cllr Seed thanked everybody for attending and contributing to a very productive meeting.