Report from I.W. Councillor John Nicholson

Posted by Admin on 13 September 2020, 3:44 pm

COUNCILLOR JOHN NICHOLSON

Ward Member for Northwood & Cowes South
Chairman of Policy & Scrutiny Committee for Adult Social Care & Health

SUNNYSIDE

PALLANCE LANE

NORTHWOOD

PO31 8LT
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Tel: 07918 757843

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Email: cllr.john.nicholson@btconnect.com

See the I.W. Councillor’s section

WARD REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2020

The Report appearing in the October 2020 edition of Northwood News:

Seafront Parking

The argument for parking charges on the Cowes/Gurnard seafront is, as I understand it, purely financial; it is a last resort to raise money needed to balance the annual budget without making more drastic and hard-felt economies to already pressed services. I think that most people can understand this argument, whether they think there are other ways of making ends meet or not.

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The arguments against, however, are very strong, and some are quite specific to this stretch of coast. The main one is how it will affect people’s use of the seafront in that having to pay to park will restrict many people’s ability to do so, at least on a regular basis, particularly pensioners and people who are cash-strapped (and more people will be due to the measures we have taken in the name of Coronavirus). Alongside this argument is the one that we should be actively encouraging more exercise.
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Apart from the health and recreational arguments there is the one that calls into question the whole purpose of restrictive parking. Is not the purpose to control parking congestion? I think most people can see the sense of limiting parking time where parking spaces are in high demand, as it stops people from blocking spaces unnecessarily. But our seafront does not suffer from parking congestion (apart from times during Cowes Week), so there is no need or justification to control parking on this basis.
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There is also the practical side. Parking meters have already been tried here, years ago – they didn’t last long with the salt and frequent dowsing from the sea. There is no point in putting up meters that are going to keep failing; that defeats the object of gaining money, if that is what the object is.
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There is, however, possibly a compromise, where an initial free period of 1or 2 hrs could be allowed. How this would affect the economics of the scheme I don’t know, and it wouldn’t address the issue of meters failing due to salt immersion. I do start to wonder, when balancing all the arguments for and against, if this has been thoroughly thought through.
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Place Plan Update
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Feedback on what residents think of Cowes and Northwood is starting to accumulate. The consultants have been active in getting opinion at various venues, like through the town and Aldi’s and quite a definitive picture of resident’s views and wishes is forming. We shall have our first significant interim report soon, to start planning a direction for the Place Plan to take.
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Predicted Pallance Road Concerns
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The combination of the St Marys junction works, the continued failure of the floating bridge operation and various local road closures are putting extra pressure on Pallance Road to serve as an unofficial diversionary route. It is a simple fact that when people are forced to take a diversion, rightly or wrongly, they think they have to make up for lost time. In consequence, the speeds and decline in due care and attention of motorists travelling through Pallance Road (which is a built-up area) are increased, particularly down the bottom end, where motorists are either entering or leaving a straight run.
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I have already taken this issue up with the Highways team on a safety basis and am supported by residents who have taken the initiative in formulating an account of just how this issue is affecting their lives.
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Local Walks
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The autumn is a wonderful time to go on local walks and I would like to remind residents that we do have some wonderful walks in our area and across the wider Island, with a wealth of heritage. With the support of the Parish a special walk guide for Northwood has been produced, which holds the added convenience of being staged between pubs, should you wish to avail of their facilities (which are not necessarily all about alcohol as some, apparently, mistakenly believe).

The Northwood (and other) Historic Walk may be found on https://www.wightwash.org.uk/walks.php.

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John Nicholson

Ward Councillor for Northwood & Cowes South
Chairman, Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Adult Social Care & Health

See the I.W. Councillor’s section