The parish council’s plea for responsible parking isn’t a gentle suggestion; it’s a cry for help!. Streets blocked by cars aren’t just a headache; they make it difficult for everyone to get around safely –from parents with prams to those who rely on wheelchairs, and even the emergency services who protect us in times of crisis. Our Neighbourhood Plan needs to prioritise parking alongside smart, sustainable growth.
We all want Hertford Heath to be a vibrant place to live, but let’s face it the Neighbourhood Plans focus of : “maximising land use” and reliance on “shared parking “ , feels like simply a way to justify cramming the maximum number of houses with the least amount of parking, without addressing the needs of current residents.
How can Heathgate’s parking challenges inform better planning? Cars spilling onto pavements becoming dangerous obstacles for pedestrians, transforming a simple stroll into a stressful hazardous obstacle course. This isn’t some minor inconvenience; it infringes on basic quality of life and compromises safety.
Shared parking sounds a good idea in principle, but it falls apart when there aren’t enough spaces, to begin with. If resident parking is already at breaking point, where will visitors put their cars?
The Steering Groups favoured development is a recipe for gridlock with a cascade of future problems,– packed visitor spaces, more cars squeezing onto other residential streets such as the already congested London Road, and anger and frustration boiling over just to reach the housing numbers.
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What Can We Do?
Learn from the Past: The 2018 Hertford Heath Heritage and Character Assessment wisely identified the parking woes in the village and suggested that this was an area to be addressed in the Neighbourhood Plan, but this has been overlooked. It even proposed practical solutions like additional parking on London Road.
Putting Residents First: Solutions need to prioritise the daily lives of those already here. Existing residents shouldn’t shoulder the burden for bad planning.
Think Outside the Box: A central village car park could alleviate the pressure on residential areas. Improved, safe walking paths and cycling routes give people healthy alternatives while naturally reducing car reliance.
Accessibility as the Foundation: Any new development proposal must guarantee ample parking for the new homes and their visitors with clear pavements and safe pathways for everyone. Compromising pedestrian mobility in favour of more housing is shortsighted and unacceptable.
The Community as Solution-Finders: Residents see first hand where the biggest parking challenges lie. Let’s hold open forums where we can share experiences, suggest improvements, and brainstorm unique solutions tailored to our village’s specific needs.
Hertford Heath can welcome growth in a way that safeguards our quality of life and keeps the village a welcoming place. It means taking a hardlook at parking before selecting sites for new developments in the neighbourhood plan by listening to existing concerns, prioritising liveability and safety, and finding smart, long-term solutions to the parking problems within the Neighbourhood Plan framework and not just housing.
Could Barclay Grange be the best solution to Hertford Heath’s parking woes?
With its central village car park, 20+ bays with electric charging, and ample off-street spaces, it offers a much-needed solution.
