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WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT
Shepway District Council is proposing to introduce a residents’ parking scheme (also known as a Controlled Parking Zone or CPZ) in roads around Folkestone West station. The purpose is to prevent commuters parking in these roads. During the operational hours of the scheme, any cars parked on the road without displaying a residents’ parking permit would receive a £70 penalty notice (or parking ticket).
But in addition to preventing commuters parking in the residential roads, the Council also intends to ban residents from parking in front of their own driveways. So even if they have paid £25 for the annual permit, they could still receive a £70 fine for parking in front of their own driveway.
Of course, this will also apply to any of your visitors, even if you buy them a visitor’s parking permit! How many times have we all said to our visitors when parking is tight, “Park in front of my driveway, and if we need to get our car out, we’ll just shunt them around”?
And, of course, banning residents parking in front of their own driveways will dramatically reduce the amount of parking available in a road.
Local residents, supported by their two ward councillors, believe that is wrong, and the IT’S MY DRIVEWAY campaign has been set up to fight this proposal.
DRIVEWAY PARKING BAN TO AFFECT ALL OF SHEPWAY
This is not just an issue for the west end of Folkestone. The Council has said that the Folkestone West model will be rolled out to ALL future residents’ parking schemes. So whether you live in other parts of Folkestone, or Sandgate, or Hythe or the Romney Marsh towns, if they get away with it in Folkestone West, it’s only a matter of time before they ban you from parking in front of your own driveway as well.
Join the campaign to stop this parking ban NOW!
3 THINGS YOU CAN DO
Whether you live in the proposed zone or whether you live somewhere that will be affected by this proposal later, you have a right to object to the Council’s proposal. Any visitors to your house, even if they don’t live in Shepway, can also object. And because it’s a statutory consultation, the Council has to listen to you.
But hurry, because objections have to be in by midday, Monday 7th September 2009.
Send an objection letter (See under DOWNLOADS below).
Tick the boxes that apply, fill in your name and address, sign it, date it, and send it to Shepway.
Or, send an e-mail. Copy the relevant paragraphs from the letter and paste them into the e-mail. Edit where applicable. Remember to fill in your name and address - the objection will be invalid without these. (If the link didn’t open a blank e-mail for you, just send an e-mail to FolkestoneWest.Consultation@shepway.gov.uk with a copy to objection@itsmydriveway.org.uk)
Encourage as many friends, visitors and neighbours to do the same. You can even add your own reasons for objecting to the proposal. Of course, you can write your own objection letter or e-mail if you wish. You don’t have to object to the residents’ parking scheme itself; just the specific ban on parking in front of your own driveway.
Download the Postcards. Print the two pages back to back. Send them to the relevant councillors at the Civic Centre. One is addressed to the Cabinet Member who will make the decision on whether to proceed with the driveway parking ban. Three are left blank for you to fill in your own ward councillor's/councillors' name(s). If you don't know who your ward councillor is, then phone Shepway on Folkestone 853000 to check. If you have a spare postcard, you could send one to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Robert Bliss.
TIP - Rather than print them on card and send them individually, print them on ordinary paper, cut them into the four cards, then put them in one envelope addressed to Shepway, which will need only one stamp. The Council will redirect them to the individual councillors.
Forward the video link to all your friends, neighbours and visitors. Encourage them to visit this website and object to the driveway parking ban. Remember - They don’t have to live in Folkestone, or even in Shepway to object. If we get enough people, this really can be a triumph for people power over the bureaucrats.
DOWNLOADS
Letter objecting to details of the proposals(To read the letter and postcards, you will need Adobe Reader. If you do not already have it, you can download it here, free.)
Get Adobe Reader»
LINKS
Cllr Rory Love
Ward councillor for Harvey West ward
CAMPAIGN VIDEO
Cllr Rory Love, the ward councillor for one of the areas affected by the parking ban explains why he is supporting residents who are campaigning against the ban.
If you received an e-mail from www.itsmydriveway.org.uk which included this video, then forward it to your neighbours, visitors and friends. Otherwise, just e-mail them with this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_n0EWbjSRY or click the link, then share the video from the YouTube website. Alternatively, e-mail them the link to this website: www.itsmydriveway.org.uk
LATEST NEWS
White Horse Artist Joins Residents’ Parking Fight
Folkestone artist and designer of Shepway’s White Horse, Charles Newington, has backed local residents who are fighting the proposed ban on being allowed to park in front of their own driveways. Newington, who lives near Folkestone Central station, said he was angry that if the ban was introduced around Folkestone West station, then his own road would be in the next phase.
Councillor Launches Website to Help Residents Object to Shepway’s Parking Ban
A Shepway councillor has received so many complaints about a proposed parking ban, that he has launched a new website to help residents of his ward send in objections to the proposal.