MP Drew backs our fight for Castle Street (From Gazette Series)

MP Drew backs our fight for Castle Street

THE move to sell off Dursley's central short-stay car park for development has come under fire this week from the town's MP.

MP David Drew is backing the campaign to keep Castle Street car park because he feels the site is crucial to the redevelopment of the town.

He told the Gazette this week he could not understand why the county council, as owner of the car park, was letting the site go before plans had been finalised for the other sites in the town.

Nor could he understand why there had not been better consultation before the site was put on the market.

"Why did they the county council not consult people on the importance of that car park let alone the strategic significance of that site?" he asked.

"That site is one of the essential building blocks of the regeneration of the central part of Dursley and it is likely that at least some of the parking spaces there will be needed.

"They are trying to give it up without looking at the knock-on effects.

"I would urge them at this late stage not to fetter the possibilities of what could happen with the other sites."

Shoppers in Dursley, and the surrounding villages, are continuing to sign petitions to keep the car park and co-ordinator Cllr Geoff Wheeler is pleased with the way the campaign to keep the site open is going. "More and more people are signing the petition," he said.

"Hopefully the Gazette campaign has bought it more to people's attention and more people will sign the petition. People are always coming up to me and talking about the car park not just in Dursley but elsewhere too.

"It would be a serious blow for the shopping area if that car park was to be built on. Most people appreciate a short stay car park, particularly those who cannot walk very far."

Gloucestershire County Councillor Margaret Nolder (Labour, Cam and Dursley), who will present the petitions and Gazette coupons to the county council at their meeting in September, said: "I think there has been a very good response to the car park campaign. I hope that we can get this through to the county council that we don't want to lose the car park."

Petitions can be signed at: The Dursley Pet Shop, Personal Computer Solutions, Master Cobblers, Bramleys, The Traditional Bakery, Gerrards Dry Cleaners, P J Durcan, Inches, That New Shop, Wildwood Flowers, Intersound, Hewitts, Clinton Cards, Newscentre, RP Jones and at the Gazette office in Long Street.

Send signed Keep Our Car Park coupons to Car Park Campaign, Gazette, Reliance House, Long Street, Dursley GL11 4LS.