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Author Topic: Car parking at Kemble railway station  (Read 100311 times)
Sapperton Tunnel
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« Reply #15 on: January 26, 2016, 13:11:30 »


It^s getting there. This is actually the third iteration of the plans and at long last is something sensible. The original scheme was actually better than the second, but seemed to depend on using redundant signal gantry platforms to create a steel walkway from the new car park and totally ignored the size of modern agricultural machines, or indeed the access required by HGV^s bringing in the various Network Rail road/rail machines.

When the original scheme was announced there was a sharp intake of breath locally at the quantity, (332 or 333 new spaces depending at which drawing you looked at) but after it was explained how usage has doubled, a probable latent demand due to lack of parking, and forecast increases the figure was accepted as being in the right ball park.

However, the designers showed a complete lack of awareness of how the village road network actually operates; a failure to understand that Kemble is still a country village and that trying to plonk an industrial type car park on to this is simply not on. 

Nevertheless, the Parish Council and Cotswold District Planners have stuck to their guns, and give GWR (Great Western Railway) their due as well in making changes, a good a scheme as what you can expect has evolved and should pass at the March 2016 planning meeting. Much better landscaping and more but lower lighting columns have been agreed as part of this. If they has listened to local opinion in the beginning and talked to Mr Arkell earlier a good six to nine months could have been saved.

The main issue to resolve is that of a Parking Scheme for the village with a permit system for residents to minimise fly parking. 

Sapperton Tunnel 


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Sapperton Tunnel
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« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2016, 12:59:49 »

It looks as if the plans for the new car park will not now be discussed at the Cotswold District Council's March Planning Meeting, but may be delayed until the April one. Amendments have been made with due regard to Landscaping and Lighting, causing the delay, and are out for comments; they are now much better, but have been a long time about.

It also appears that FGW (First Great Western)/GWR (Great Western Railway) have found a new source of passengers:

(From the Design and Access statement)

Quote
An unobtrusive but efficient lighting scheme is to be provided. Low spillage luminaires with recessed LED lamps have been chosen to minimise light pollution.

They are to be mounted on 6 metre high columns and will be fitted with time clocks, daylight sensors and an automatic dimming function to ensure that the area is not over illuminated.

Special care has been taken to avoid light spillage onto the perimeter hedges in order not to be detrimental to commuting bats.
!!

Sapperton Tunnel
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ellendune
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« Reply #17 on: February 25, 2016, 17:38:16 »

Sapperton Tunnel

I assumed that might also be where the bats are commuting from!
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Sapperton Tunnel
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« Reply #18 on: March 01, 2016, 19:04:36 »

Sapperton Tunnel

I assumed that might also be where the bats are commuting from!

Sadly, not. They are tree and hedgerow inhabiting Bats.


Contrary to my previous post and just to be precise, the new Car Park at Kemble will be discussed at the next Cotswold District Council planning meeting on March 9th.

The Planning Officers have recommended approval of the scheme, with delegation of the final details, which are still out for public consultation, to the Planners, providing there are no significant objections. If there are unresolved objections, then it is back to the full committee for probable refusal, although this is unlikely.

I'm afraid that this is just another example of the convoluted and tortuous path that this application has been through.

I'll bet the Bats don't have a clue of all the discussion and reworking carried out on their behalf. Bet the little b*****s migrate elsewhere!! 

Sapperton Tunnel

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Sapperton Tunnel
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« Reply #19 on: March 09, 2016, 18:49:22 »


Well, Cotswold District Council Planning Committee voted in favour of the new Car Park at Kemble Station at their Planning Meeting today, 9th March.

The new Car Park will have 333 spaces and doubles the existing capacity. It will have its own access road to the main A429 road and should reduce a little bit of traffic on village roads.

The principle of more car parking has always been accepted by the village and the new park does encroach onto open agricultural land but I think most people involved understand that a bit of a sacrifice has been made.

This is not quite the final hurdle as iteration 4 is still out for Public Consultation and the Highways Engineer and Natural England still have to report back with their comments.

What the Planning Committee actually did was to delegate authority to the Council Officers with a recommendation to 'Approve' providing that Iteration 4 comments from the Public and the other consultees are not materally significant. If there are major changes then it is back to the Planning Committee and a probable refusal. It is not thought that this will happen, though.

A final decision by the Officers will likely be around Eastertime.


Sapperton Tunnel

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Stroud Valleys
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« Reply #20 on: March 10, 2016, 10:33:13 »

Is there a link to the planning application to see what the plans/map of the site will be once completed?
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stuving
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« Reply #21 on: March 10, 2016, 11:49:47 »

Is there a link to the planning application to see what the plans/map of the site will be once completed?
I think it is this one (at least, it was on the committee agenda for yesterday):
15/00786/FUL (Alternative Reference CT.6491/M)
documents at:
http://publicaccess.cotswold.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=NK2V91FIM6H00
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Stroud Valleys
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« Reply #22 on: March 10, 2016, 13:19:09 »

Thank you. It's interesting to see just how much the plans have changed over the years, but it will bring lots of benefits to the already overcrowded car park at kemble.

I'm surprised they haven't looked at developing bus services to cirencester. The existing service is poor and has lots of potential if linked to various housing developments in cirencester.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #23 on: March 10, 2016, 23:43:51 »

I'm surprised they haven't looked at developing bus services to cirencester.

... or even reopening the branch line.  Tongue Wink Grin
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Sapperton Tunnel
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« Reply #24 on: March 11, 2016, 11:57:03 »

I'm surprised they haven't looked at developing bus services to cirencester.

... or even reopening the branch line.  Tongue Wink Grin

John Prescott tried increasing the bus services in the late 1990's, but nobody used them - the number arriving or leaving the station without a single passenger was incredibly high, ridiculed locally and a total waste of money. Today, there is a reasonable bus service that does have a patronage, but you need to consider where most passengers travel to or from.

If you want to travel to Swindon or Cheltenham from Cirencester then it is quicker to take the bus direct from Cirencester rather than via Kemble and changing. And where would the buses come from, route wise? If they come from Cirencester then you have to get into the middle of Cirencester to catch the bus. It is quicker to go directly to Kemble. To have the buses go round the various estates in Cirencester to pick up the odd passenger would be plainly uneconomic - even the local town services require subsidy - and it would take even more time.

Yes, there are folk who have to catch the bus and there is a half reasonable service, which could be improved, but no one seems to think there is the demand to warrant much of an increase.

To be perfectly honest, those using Kemble are quite affluent and the catchment area is quite interesting. A lot depends on travel time to and from the Station. There are users from afar as Wotton under Edge - a good 20 miles as it takes only a little over half an hour on a good day. Also from Leckhampton and Charlton Kings on the outskirts of Cheltenham as it can be  quicker than Cheltenham rush hour traffic, plus it is quicker and cheaper than using the train from Cheltenham station itself.

Until the 1980's if a passenger missed a Swindon or London train at Cheltenham by just a few minutes, then Cheltenham would telephone Kemble to say that that a passenger was driving to Kemble and would or wouldn't need a ticket and would they look out for them. Usually they would arrive with about 3 or 4 minutes to spare and sometimes the train would be held.

The catchment area also goes quite close to Swindon to avoid the Swindon traffic and parking issues at Swindon Station, with some passengers happy to pay more for a less attractive journey time and frequency than from Swindon.

Re-opening the Cirencester Branch is talked about from time to time including on the Coffee Shop:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14439.0

I really don't think they will get far as the route has been built over in Cirencester and that means that you would have to travel to a station on the outskirts for a 3 mile ride to Kemble.

Nice but hopeless.

Sapperton Tunnel
 



       
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patch38
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« Reply #25 on: February 06, 2017, 11:21:19 »

From Wilts & Glos Standard - http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/15069305.Work_on_new_333_spaced_car_park_near_Kemble_train_station_begins/

Quote

WORK on a new 333-spaced car park adjacent to Kemble train station has begun, following years of campaigning.

The new car park is a result of a bid by First Great Western that secured £145,000 of funding from the Department of Transport’s Station Development Facility.

The project was supported by Mr Clifton-Brown, who lobbied the government on the extension.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was joined at the station by site manager Lee Jones, parish council chairman Roger Pettit and First Great Western representatives Matt Barnes and Adrian Gilby.

The station's usage has more than doubled since 2012 and in recent years the disruption of poor car parking capacity and further redoubling work has slowed additional growth.

Commenting on the commencement of work the MP (Member of Parliament) said: "I am delighted that after years of hard work and perseverance by myself, Cllr Pettit and First Great Western that the much-needed car park extension has come to fruition.

"Hopefully, this will be the beginning of further transport growth in the constituency, which will strengthen our local economy.

"Not only will this be excellent news for commuters but hopefully it will begin to solve the long running problem of commuters parking cars and blocking gateways and streets in the village of Kemble."

Cllr Pettit said: "Starting work on constructing a new station car park is great news for our village residents and for commuters.

"The capacity of the existing car park has been outgrown and commuter parking on village streets has become a major problem for us.

"Fully supported by our MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, County Councillor Shaun Parsons and District Councillor Tony Berry we have been working on a solution with GWR (Great Western Railway) for a very long time.

"This scheme should meet requirements for the foreseeable future.

"Once it is up and running car parking for users of our station will cease to be a problem and restrictions can be introduced in the village to prevent any nuisance parking by commuters. "


Good news in spite of the sloppy journalism: First Great Western? I suppose technically they made the original bid, even though Cllr. Pettit then gets it right in his quote... And there's that 'train station' again. Grrr.  Wink
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patch38
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« Reply #26 on: July 19, 2017, 17:30:05 »

As promised, there’s a lovely new 333-bay car park to the west of Kemble station – finished, landscaped and lit but missing just one thing. Cars.

It seems there a consultation going on concerning the removal of the planning condition (Condition 4) that states that the car park cannot be brought into use until a scheme of on-street parking restrictions has been implemented in the village. The applicant (Great Western Railway) suggests that the on-street restrictions cannot be properly assessed until the impact of opening the new car park has been evaluated. They are proposing that the car park should open and then a 12-month survey take place prior to the assessment and subsequent introduction (if warranted) of on-street restrictions.

The general feeling in the village (from planning comments and Parish Council minutes) seems to be that ‘nuisance’ parking occurs whether or not the existing car park (to the east of the station) is full and that commuters who opt not to pay the car park fee and park in the surrounding streets will continue to do so whether or not the new car park opens. In the absence of any restrictions, the on-street parking is presumably perfectly legal but creates congestion, nuisance and parking problems for locals.

The station therefore has a splendid new car park with locked gates and no cars.
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ellendune
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« Reply #27 on: July 19, 2017, 22:28:06 »

As promised, there’s a lovely new 333-bay car park to the west of Kemble station – finished, landscaped and lit but missing just one thing. Cars.

It seems there a consultation going on concerning the removal of the planning condition (Condition 4) that states that the car park cannot be brought into use until a scheme of on-street parking restrictions has been implemented in the village. The applicant (Great Western Railway) suggests that the on-street restrictions cannot be properly assessed until the impact of opening the new car park has been evaluated. They are proposing that the car park should open and then a 12-month survey take place prior to the assessment and subsequent introduction (if warranted) of on-street restrictions.

The general feeling in the village (from planning comments and Parish Council minutes) seems to be that ‘nuisance’ parking occurs whether or not the existing car park (to the east of the station) is full and that commuters who opt not to pay the car park fee and park in the surrounding streets will continue to do so whether or not the new car park opens. In the absence of any restrictions, the on-street parking is presumably perfectly legal but creates congestion, nuisance and parking problems for locals.

The station therefore has a splendid new car park with locked gates and no cars.


I cannot imagine why GWR (Great Western Railway) would not do their best to comply with the condition. I suspect what we have here is a dispute between a local planning authority (Cotswold District Council) who set the planning condition and the Highway Authority (Gloucestershire County Council (GCC)) who would have to make the Traffic Regulation Order to introduce the waiting restrictions. 

I suspect GCC are saying they have to go through certain procedures before they can make the Order and that would include demonstrating it is needed after the Car Park is opened. 

If this is the case GWR are just stuck in the middle of a dialogue between two tiers of local government.  Of course only GWR can make the application as they are the ones who have the planning condition.   
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rogerw
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« Reply #28 on: July 20, 2017, 10:13:30 »

Great Western should go ahead and open the car park as the condition is almost certainly ultra viries. Cotswold District cannot impose a requirement on a third party (GCC) by means of a planning condition on an application to which they were not a party.
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ellendune
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« Reply #29 on: July 20, 2017, 17:23:52 »

Great Western should go ahead and open the car park as the condition is almost certainly ultra viries. Cotswold District cannot impose a requirement on a third party (GCC) by means of a planning condition on an application to which they were not a party.

In a less confrontational approach (they may need to cooperate with them later) GWR (Great Western Railway) should apply to Cotswold DC (Direct Current) to lift the condition (which they are doing) and if it is refused simply appeal (which they may have in mind).

 
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