Agenda item

Parking Issues at Aldershot Lido

At the request of Cllr Sophie Porter, to consider a review of parking arrangements near the Lido. Cllr Porter will present the results of a survey (copy attached), which was undertaken to gain insight into parking issues around the Lido and the Committee will be asked to consider cost effective parking plans/options for the area surrounding the Lido.

Minutes:

At the request of Cllr. Sophie Porter, the Committee was asked to consider a review of parking arrangements near the Aldershot Lido. A survey had been carried out as a result of a number of complaints received from residents relating to issues with parking in the area. The survey was carried out to identify the issues faced by people who used the Lido and the experiences of people who lived in close proximity to the facility.

 

A number of key issues were identified from the survey results, in particular:

 

·         Parking was challenging for residents who lived near the Lido on busy days

·         Limited awareness about where to locate overflow parking facilities

·         Safety concerns regarding access for emergency vehicles

·         Users less likely to attend due to parking issues

·         Users of the indoor pool and/or gym struggled to park in the summer months

·         Both users and residents would like to see the issue resolved

 

Possible solutions were also identified by people who completed the survey, these were as follows:

 

·         Gauge interest from residents to allow users to park on their driveways

·         Devise a map showing all available parking spaces, including the overflow car park to be displayed on the website and via social media

·         Explore the potential to build a multi storey car park which could be used all year round by the various activities taking place and clubs in the vicinity

·         Explore the potential to use the Aldershot Park green space as alternative parking on busy days

·         Explore a park and ride option with Stagecoach from the town centre

·         Consider traffic enforcement routes on busy days

·         Consider pre-paid tickets with an earlier opening time to stagger user parking

 

The Committee discussed the findings of the survey. It was suggested that a multi-storey car park could be considered in the longer term as this could be utilised by rugby, football, cricket and gymnastics clubs, located in the area, throughout the year. In the shorter-term, it was suggested that a stakeholder meeting could be arranged to discuss and gather data and work together to try and avoid similar situations occurring on busy days going forward. It was also suggested that consideration could be given to approaching local businesses to sell their parking spaces on weekends to users. The potential of using the parking facilities at the Crematorium at the weekend could be viewed as insensitive to Crematorium visitors.

 

In response, it was advised that the Lido was open for 90 days per year and during Summer, 2019 had reached over 1,000 visitors on ten occasions. There was a review of leisure facilities currently underway by the Council, which included the Aldershot Lido and Indoor Pools Complex and parking would be considered as part of the review. The issues surrounding communications would be raised with the relevant officers and stakeholders to ensure more consistency and clear messages around parking were given moving forward. The potential for a feasibility study on the provision of a multi-storey car park in the area would need to be considered further. A report back would be made to the Progress Group at a future meeting. The Committee agreed that a stakeholder meeting, to include the Aldershot Park Ward Councillors, should be held prior to the 2020 season.

Supporting documents: