Residents take plea to council

10:58am Monday 18th August 2008

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DISABLED residents at St Katherine’s Alms Houses have launched a petition in a bid to maintain their right to park close to their homes all day.

The move follows Herefordshire Council plans to make St Katherine’s car park, next to the Alms Houses, short-stay only, with a maximum of four hours' parking at a time.

This would mean Alms House residents would have to park at the long-stay Bye Street car park some distance away.

On Thursday, seven residents from the Alms Houses attended a meeting of Ledbury Town Council’s planning committee in a bid to gain support for their campaign for convenient parking.

Speaking afterwards, group spokesman Ron Collins, who is disabled and a blue badge holder, said: “Parking on St Katherine’s car park is important to me, because mobility is not something I’m good at. Bye Street car park might not seem far to go for someone who can walk normally but it’s a long way if you can’t walk very well.

“At the moment I can park next to my garden wall.”

Mr Collins pays for that privilege to the tune of £150 a year.

The idea of making St Katherine’s car park short-stay actually came from Ledbury Town Council, and Herefordshire Council has responded to the idea with plans to bring in short-stay parking as soon as the New Year.

Now the town council, led by mayor Keith Francis, is asking Herefordshire Council to think again.

Following the appeal from Mr Collins and residents, councillors passed a recommendation that a letter should be sent to Herefordshire Council, asking for the authority to make allowances for disabled Alms House residents.

This allowance would be for the duration of the residents’ motoring lives, providing they have a blue badge.

Meanwhile, the residents have printed 15 copies of a petition to be distributed among local shops and businesses. The petition calls for Herefordshire Council to make Bye Street car park short-stay instead.