Like many of us who live in the historic town centre I don't have the luxury of a drive/garage or on-street parking, thus have to buy a District Council Long Stay parking permit. Until a few years ago it was good value at about £150 but recently went up to approx £225. To my horror I've discovered that at a committee meeting it December 2005 the Council members agreed to a 172% rise by 2009 or £440 for a permit! If you need it for work in Dorchester it's going to be nearer £500!! With elections coming up I suggest we all ask our elected members in their large houses with drives and garages how this can be justified!
I think the Bridport Radio needs to bring back the "parking for free" suggestions, I will need it. Local people just can't afford to live in this town anymore....can't buy a house, can't park, can't live.
Well looks like everyone is alive and kicking!Welcome back Real World.I reckon it is the Labour party who have killed off country communities.Their newest idea is to charge farmers who have diversified, business rates,which will add at least £5000 a year to outgoings.Also taking paying your tv licence payments etc from rural PO's has put the kybosh on most of them.We can't build new council houses or expect our roads to be repaired......where will it all end?
Posted by Real World, on 13-04-2007 14:29,
I returned on here to just show how petty and immature some ( not all) of the posters on here are. If one reads back over the various threads re: Notting Hill On Sea - 90% of the stuff written by ""locals"" is simply infantile drivel & insults - basically confirming the sterotype of most Bridporters as backward looking yokels. I will continue on here to attempt to inject some commonsense and logic to the debate. I hope you realise the very reason I am here is that like you, I love Bridport and West Dorset. ""Oh you can't"" some of you will scream "" Cos you weren't born here - and you have a few quid "". Come on lads, grow up a bit - accept the way of the world and get on with it. If you all feel so strongly about affordable housing why don't you locals organise a fundraiser or offer young couples a room in your houses ? Think about it.
Posted by Bentley, on 13-04-2007 23:59,
The ""elected"" council are clueless as to the wishes of the people who voted for them. If they ever bothered to read this interseting and lively forum they would know that if they start charging 2nd home owners double or at least 150% council tax then we would have enough money in the coffers to all park for freeor at least at a sensible and fair rate.
Posted by Charley, on 18-04-2007 17:43,
As a relative newcomer from London my family & I have setup home in Bridport. Why because I love this town. I like the fact that you can still (just) use local traders some of who's businesses have been going since the year dot. I know from experience that despite what the supermarkets claim the local green grocer & butcher are cheaper & supply better local produce. However I am disabled & am forced to use the supermarkets because of the poor parking in Bridport. Having said that I have just found an excellent butchers in Bradpole where I can stop right outside the door Great. Anyway my point is that for a small rural market town (which has a bypass)to have parking restrictions to the extent it does is a nonsense. All it does is force many locals & visitors to use the supermarkets when they should be supporting the local shops. My advice after having seen the devistating affects over regulation of parking can have on local businesses is scrap it & if your representatives won't listen vote for someone who will. Oh! either welcome the newcomers or at least leave them alone
Posted by Chief Wigam, on 19-04-2007 19:12,
Charley, After reading the various posts going backwards and forwards between 'Realworld' and some of our local folk it's refreshing to here that as a newcomer you have moved here full time, not as a holiday home and that you want to suport local traders and business. It's good that you call yourself a 'newcomer', not an 'incomer'. I listened to a man in town who called himself and his family incomers. With that attitude An incomer will always be an incomer, a newcomer will usualy intergrate into the community and after time will no longer be a newcomer. As for parking, dont you think it's a little unfair that certain white vans near certain traffic lights seem to be able to park any time of day for as long as they like???
Posted by Rosieo6, on 20-04-2007 13:09,
Welcome Charley,Newcomers are no problem as they are here and contributing to the economy and using the community to intergrate,not leaving empty houses for x months of year so the community dies as schools, post offices etc are not used. Talking of traffic lights,the ones in west allington/magdalen lane all changed to green at the same time and I was shouted at(by another car driver) when I was told to carry on by the workmen!
Posted by Rustic, on 22-04-2007 17:55,
Hello Charley, Having read your comments about having to use supermarkets because you are disabled I am left somewhat confused. If you can walk at all, or have someone willing to push your chair, or even own one of those dangerous electric wheelchairs you will notice that there are lots of disabled people who shop in the local stores in bridport and find a way of doing it. Most shops are pretty good on wheelchair access although some could pose a problem and most good minded people will lend a hand if asked. There is a carpark as close to central as possible in each quadrant of the town and if you have a car and are disabled then as far as I know you should be entitled to a sticker that lets you park where you like,within reason. Unfortunately for disabled people, certain carriers of the ""disabled windscreen sticker"" appear quite sprightly when leaping from their cars after parking in bus stops and other awkward places and that has caused some sections of the comunity to become sceptical about the whole scheme. I believe we can trace the problem of parking back to the general malaise that has affected our society for years, and that is no one gives much of a toss about anyone else be they disabled or not, we are all too busy rushing about trying to get or have more than the others. There are very few places left where corruption, be it moral or ecconomic hasn't cast its ugly shadow. As for incomer or newcomer, lets not get all too carried away with the touchy feely nonsense of definition, if you live here then you are a resident, this is where you live, wherever you decide to do your shopping. If you don't live here then you are a grockle.
Posted by Ivor Bigun, on 25-04-2007 20:09,
On the topic of parking price hikes, i think that the persons responsible for these rises should be ordered to wear a Dick Turpin style mask in public, so we can identify who the parking robbers are ! 440 pounds for a parking permit is just taking the urine, probably free though for second home owners!!
Like many of us who live in the historic town centre I don't have the luxury of a drive/garage or on-street parking, thus have to buy a District Council Long Stay parking permit. Until a few years ago it was good value at about £150 but recently went up to approx £225. To my horror I've discovered that at a committee meeting it December 2005 the Council members agreed to a 172% rise by 2009 or £440 for a permit! If you need it for work in Dorchester it's going to be nearer £500!! With elections coming up I suggest we all ask our elected members in their large houses with drives and garages how this can be justified! 
