Parking Problems

Surprise, surprise - the problems which we predicted with parking at Timothy Hackworth Court have materialised. When the plans for this sheltered housing scheme were submitted those of us with some local knowledge said that there was insufficient parking included. Ah, said McCarthy & Stone, you won't need that much parking because residents will give up their cars when they move in. You'll see - it's happened in all of our other establishments. We had anecdotal evidence that this wasn't the case and that they were having to offer inducements to people to give up their cars but it wasn't acceptable in the planning decision making process. Although the Planning Committee refused permission the Planning Inspector allowed the scheme to go ahead. 42 apartments with less than 20 parking places. Already there are problems. It seems that the grasscrete which was put down to protect the trackbed of the original Stockton to Darlington railway line was not laid properly. As a result it had to be replaced last week, meaning that many residents couldn't park anywhere in the grounds for parts of the day while the work was going on. Now it seems they want to replace it with gravel which can't possibly protect the trackbed in the same way or it would have been used in the first place as the cheaper option. There are only 17 flats occupied at present - heaven help us when all 42 are filled.
Meanwhile the question of parking a couple of hundred yards away at the station hit the Gazette tonight. While SBC officers have been working away quietly trying to get the best possible deal for passengers and for the residents of Station Rd and nearby streets as train services are becoming more popular and the Metro development draws ever nearer our illustrious MP decided to gain a bit of publicity by "calling for better parking". Is there an election coming up shortly I ask?