Radical plan to scrap parking in Midhurst town centre

The suggestions come as part of a report from the town council’s highways review group, which found ‘nearly all highways issues in Midhurst orginate from bad practice on North Street’ with ‘excessive illegal parking’.

Councillors at a planning meeting last Monday recommended a task and finish group should be set up to take the review’s ideas forward, with the final decision to be agreed by full council.

Presenting the report to the commitee, cllr Steve Morley said: “I have spoken with many who consider our town to be held to ransom by these vehicles that blight our lives.

“We all see them speeding through dangerously, selfishly parking on our pavements, ignoring ‘no parking’ restrictions or lazily taking up the spaces reserved for delivery vehicles.

“We should take this opportunity to regain control of our streets and footpaths and make Midhurst a better place to shop, play, cycle, walk, drive to and live in.”

He said there were two large car parks within a four minute walk from the town centre but congestion and pollution were growing problems and the town was not as easily bypassed as Petworth.

The report explains disabled parking provision and loading bays would be retained in North Street, with calls for ‘zero tolerance’ tackling pavement parking in West Street and Rumbold’s Hill and a request to address the issue of A-boards on narrow pavements.

Other ideas include traffic calming in Bepton Road, a review of parking in and around June Lane and advice on a residents’ parking scheme for Ashfield Road.

Committee chairman cllr Gordon McAra said: “There are a couple of controversial suggestions in this final basis.

“It might not just be plain sailing but I think we wholeheartedly support what you’re trying to do because the town suffers so badly from parking and traffic and speeding.”