Car park to be included in Backwell Future

Councillor Chris Perry, chairman of Backwell Future Steering Group, asked if discussions could be set up between the council and landowners in the village, after two possible sites were identified.

He said: “In order to go forward with this it is a point in principle that we must consult the individual landowners first.”

Council chairman Bob Taylor, who owns a newsagents in Rodney Road, told the meeting parking was ‘one of the main problems’ in the village.

He said: “A lot of flats above the shops are now offices with an average of five workers in each, bringing in about four cars so the parking problem has worsened.

“And since there has been two-hour parking restrictions implemented in Rodney Road there is only one place to park and that’s outside my shop.”

A need for more spaces has been outlined in a neighbourhood plan being created by the council, called Backwell Future, following a Government scheme to hand over more powers to communities.

Leaflets about it were distributed to all households in December, urging anyone wanting to get involved to contact the steering group.

The Times reported at the time that the plan has to fit in with North Somerset Council’s Core Strategy, a draft of which is being scrutinised by a Government inspector.

The inspector’s findings are expected this month, with a final strategy likely to be adopted in April.

Cllr Perry said: “It will help clarify the scale of new housing required in the period 2006-2026 and what this will mean for Backwell.

“The draft plan provides the opportunity for the community and other interested parties to feed back their views to the parish council.”

The plan will be presented to the council in stages, starting at next month’s meeting on March 1.

The steering group want residents in Station Road, West Leigh, Downside and Moor Lane to be represented and ask anyone who would like to join to contact the parish clerk on 01275 464653.