I was interested in your piece in last week’s Gazette and would very much support Cllrs John Hunt and Caroline Ellis and apparently 1600 other residents who wish to see this demolition and selling for rehousing of Paul Street car park stopped.
Both John Hunt and Caroline Ellis make very valid comments giving the reasons it should be stopped.
Also, as a user of this car park living in Southwest Taunton, I would point out that the refurbished Crescent Car Park is nearly always full, so it's not worth searching for a space now its capacity has been reduced.
The Orchard Multi Storey car park has a difficult steep entrance via the spiral ramp, which is difficult for older or timid drivers.
[I don’t believe it complies with modern slope standards].
The Castle Street 1st car park is also always full, and the 2nd one is quite a good walk to the town centre.
The Wood Street car park is presently inaccessible (utilities digging up again) except via Bridge Street, which is normally jammed up, awaiting multiple traffic lights.
I am active, but have sympathy for older residents with walking difficulties who are put off by the walk to the Brewhouse or town centre via the car parks I have detailed.
Access to the Brewhouse is, of course, now tortuous from Southwest Taunton via Tancred Street.
The above, and the retailers' recent expressed concern in the Gazette regarding its effect on Taunton town centre, and the other views concerning the proposed demolition of this car park demonstrate the strong feeling about this matter.
I have sympathy for the council’s predicament in view of the savage cuts to funding over recent years, culminating in last week’s recent cuts.
I would urge Cllr Rigby, for whom I have great respect from the time he was involved with the Norton Fitzwarren development issues, to see if there are alternative assets that could be sold, such as underused parts of County Hall, now there is a move to less staff and more home working.
I’m sure there are also a number of other assets that could be considered.
Steve Smith
Galmington
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