BREWERY bosses have issued an ultimatum to Ribble Valley Council -- open a new public car park in Whalley or we will shut ours.
Car parking in the village has been in turmoil for the past few months after the council's lease on the Whalley Arms car park ran out and Whitbread Brewery introduced a pay and display scheme.
In a report to the council's planning and development committee, engineering manager Graham Jagger says the brewery is threatening to shut the car park to members of the public if a council car park is not opened.
And the council is at stalemate with Whalley Parish Council after coming up with several schemes, including transforming Vale Gardens and Whalley Bus Station into a 47-space car park with a double lay-by for buses in King Street and buying land off Accrington Road.
The parish council rejected the plans at Vale Gardens and owner of the Accrington Road land is unwilling to sell his plot. The parish council offered three ideas: A single bus lay-by with spaces for 25 cars using the bus station and part of Vale Gardens
Parking in King Street limited to one hour and
Transform an area of Green Park, at the Abbey Road end, for around 25 cars.
But Mr Jagger says none of the schemes is viable because the Vale Gardens idea is too small, parking in King Street is a matter for Lancashire County Council and Green Park was donated by the late Arthur George Proctor who stressed that the land is to be kept as a public park.
In his report to Thursday's meeting, Mr Jagger states: "If there is no change of mind by the parish council regarding their terms under which they would consent to the Vale Gardens/bus station being converted to a car park big enough to meet the anticipated need in the village and if the owner of the land on Accrington Road cannot be encouraged to reconsider selling the council a suitable plot of land there appears to be no realistic prospect of providing a new public car park in the village. "While it has been suggested that other land should be considered for parking, none of the sites mentioned are either of sufficient size, in a suitable location or known to be available for purchase. All options therefore appear to be exhausted."
Parking in the village was thrown into chaos last year when Whitbread banned motorists from the popular pub car park, unless they were using the pub.
Shoppers and visitors to the doctors, dentist and adult education centre were frequent users of the car park, but brewery bosses claimed that people were parking all day.
The car park was leased from the brewery by Ribble Valley Borough Council for 10 years, but council chiefs said they could not afford to renew the agreement.
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