Wrangle over extra car parking

PARKING issues have stirred up residents in Axbridge who are fighting a suggestion to tarmac a green area.Nearly 30 people signed a petition against an idea to tarmac a grass plot by the churchyard at the end of Chestnut Avenue.The town council wants to create more parking and its highways committee considered asking Somerset County Council to tarmac the green patch, which is already used for parking.A spokeswoman for the street wrote to the council, which did not want to reveal her name, saying: "At the present time we already get residents from St Mary's Street and surrounding areas parking in our street at all times of day and night and sometimes residents can't park outside their own homes."A car park would mean even more cars and we would have to tolerate traffic and noise late at night."There's been a green area in Chestnut Avenue for 50 plus years. Has anyone asked or considered our views? If a car park were to be introduced we feel it would no longer be the quiet, safe road it has always been."The green area is used by families for recreation and will be for future generations to come. "We know that visiting people have to park on the patch, but this is only for a short time. It's interesting to note that new housing estates like Farthing Combe, Strawberry Field and Barnabas Close have included green areas while there's talk of destroying ours."Please consider the opinions of Chestnut Avenue residents who don't wish to see a car park at the end of the road for many reasons, the main one being that it would be used by other house owners and pub customers who would no doubt be up in arms if a car park was put outside their front door."At its recent monthly meeting Axbridge Town Council, which has never formally proposed or backed a plan for a car park, referred the matter back to its highways subcommittee.