Residents split over road parking plight

08/02/13 Burton Albion community trust - Pirelli Stadium, BurtonOfficial Launch of the Burton Albion Community Trust at the Pirelli Stadium.Cllr Liz Staples

COUNCIL plans to make parking safer near a Burton school appear to be no closer to fruition after failing to win the support of residents.

The situation surrounding parking near the William Shrewsbury Primary School, in Church Road, Stretton, has developed into a saga.

It has long been the intention of Staffordshire County Council to implement various safety measures near the school, but so far to no avail.

The issue revolves around St Mary’s Drive, off Church Road, which becomes swamped by cars on a daily basis as parents drop off and collect their children from the school.

The council is concerned that cars parking on the junction with Church Road pose a danger to children walking to and from the school.

But the authority has struggled to win support from residents, who stand to be directly impacted by the plans.

A plan to create a one-way system in St Mary’s Drive hit the buffers after a consultation among local people delivered a split decision for and against.

The council then investigated painting double yellow lines on the majority of the road, with a separate area with a single yellow line to be used by parents.

But the council has again met with opposition, and although the majority were in favour of this plan, those living closest to the area the single yellow line had been proposed, and who thus stood to be impacted the heaviest, were all against it, putting the council back at square one.

Liz Staples, who represents Stretton on Staffordshire County Council, said: “People who were directly affected by the single yellow line plan have all objected because there may be elderly residents needing access, or people don’t want to have to move their car twice a day, which is perfectly understandable. I’m hoping we can have another meeting and we can come to some agreement that can help everybody. I wish I could come up with a solution that could suit everyone.”