Folks
You may be aware that the plan that was being proposed to give Castleford Tigers a new stadium in the field adjacent to Junction 32 of the M62 has moved on a pace.
Clearly, if this is to go ahead, it will be one of the biggest developments of its kind locally with a significant impact on both Pontefract and Castleford. If you link that to the proposal to increase the capacity of the Asda Superstore and the fact that work at the Prince of Wales site is well underway with a prospect of up to 540 houses in its first two phases each discharging on to Park Road, then the proposals for handling the traffic will need to be scrutinised closely.
The commercial aspects are likely to be viable, you only need to look at the Tesco deal that gave the Warrington Wolves their new Stadium across the car park from a Tesco Superstore. The stadium scheme is likely to be financed by the developer and or a major retail operator so that they can get public support from Tiger's fans.
It is likely that a significant amount of users of this new stadium and the proposed retail park will arrive by motorway. It is to be hoped that the roundabout at Junction 32 can cope with any extra traffic otherwise the problems we had at Town End will seem insignificant compared to what may lie ahead, with Pontefract effectively cut off from the Motorway.
Having had conversations with people who have been looking at this proposal, for many there is a concern that this scheme could cripple any hopes that we have for making our Town centre more vibrant. I am uneasy that we may lose further high street retailers from Pontefract depending upon who moves into the new development.
With the potential for up to 4000 new homes in and around the town, we also need to see improvements in the infrastructure and the council's approach to spending in Pontefract as a whole.
We also need to find ways to allow existing local businesses to continue and thrive. Clearly WMDC is looking forward to significant business rate revenue from the 5 Towns Retail Park, some of that should be spent to help sustain Pontefract and Castleford town centres.
One simple solution is that WMDC amend their car parking policy to reflect the dire threat to local businesses and to attract more residents and visitors to shop local. The revenue from new businesses will more than cover any shortfall incurred by scrapping or reducing car parking fees in the town.
In 2013 I raised the issue of parking charges and was told that there was to be an area wide review linked to Cllr Jeffrey's portfolio. At this point nothing of note has happened in Pontefract.
WMDC needs to change its approach to parking charges to support our community. Options could mirror other authorities or even those used in other parts of the district :-
A) Remove parking charges completely for on street and council off street parking, with a time limit enforced by a parking disc system and charge for excess use (with an extended use permit for those resident in the Town Centre and a chargeable permit for those who are working in the Town Centre).
B) Retain the status quo but allow free parking after 3pm system to encourage people to visit the Town Centre later in the day.
C) Allow free parking for the first hour and charge subsequent time at a reasonable rate.
The important thing is that WMDC will need to be pro-active something which many would find surprising..
Something needs to be done to keep shoppers visiting Pontefract Town Centre.
What do you think?
Email me: geoff.walsh.npc@gmail.com
or Twitter @Geoff_Walsh_npc
or give me a call.
Geoff
You may be aware that the plan that was being proposed to give Castleford Tigers a new stadium in the field adjacent to Junction 32 of the M62 has moved on a pace.
Clearly, if this is to go ahead, it will be one of the biggest developments of its kind locally with a significant impact on both Pontefract and Castleford. If you link that to the proposal to increase the capacity of the Asda Superstore and the fact that work at the Prince of Wales site is well underway with a prospect of up to 540 houses in its first two phases each discharging on to Park Road, then the proposals for handling the traffic will need to be scrutinised closely.
The commercial aspects are likely to be viable, you only need to look at the Tesco deal that gave the Warrington Wolves their new Stadium across the car park from a Tesco Superstore. The stadium scheme is likely to be financed by the developer and or a major retail operator so that they can get public support from Tiger's fans.
It is likely that a significant amount of users of this new stadium and the proposed retail park will arrive by motorway. It is to be hoped that the roundabout at Junction 32 can cope with any extra traffic otherwise the problems we had at Town End will seem insignificant compared to what may lie ahead, with Pontefract effectively cut off from the Motorway.
Having had conversations with people who have been looking at this proposal, for many there is a concern that this scheme could cripple any hopes that we have for making our Town centre more vibrant. I am uneasy that we may lose further high street retailers from Pontefract depending upon who moves into the new development.
With the potential for up to 4000 new homes in and around the town, we also need to see improvements in the infrastructure and the council's approach to spending in Pontefract as a whole.
We also need to find ways to allow existing local businesses to continue and thrive. Clearly WMDC is looking forward to significant business rate revenue from the 5 Towns Retail Park, some of that should be spent to help sustain Pontefract and Castleford town centres.
One simple solution is that WMDC amend their car parking policy to reflect the dire threat to local businesses and to attract more residents and visitors to shop local. The revenue from new businesses will more than cover any shortfall incurred by scrapping or reducing car parking fees in the town.
In 2013 I raised the issue of parking charges and was told that there was to be an area wide review linked to Cllr Jeffrey's portfolio. At this point nothing of note has happened in Pontefract.
WMDC needs to change its approach to parking charges to support our community. Options could mirror other authorities or even those used in other parts of the district :-
A) Remove parking charges completely for on street and council off street parking, with a time limit enforced by a parking disc system and charge for excess use (with an extended use permit for those resident in the Town Centre and a chargeable permit for those who are working in the Town Centre).
B) Retain the status quo but allow free parking after 3pm system to encourage people to visit the Town Centre later in the day.
C) Allow free parking for the first hour and charge subsequent time at a reasonable rate.
The important thing is that WMDC will need to be pro-active something which many would find surprising..
Something needs to be done to keep shoppers visiting Pontefract Town Centre.
What do you think?
Email me: geoff.walsh.npc@gmail.com
or Twitter @Geoff_Walsh_npc
or give me a call.
Geoff
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