TRADERS and residents are furious at plans to build over one of the few long-stay car parks in Dursley.

It has been revealed that the 82-space free car park in Long Street will be swallowed up by the ongoing Littlecombe housing development.

This has caused outrage among town centre traders who fear shoppers will be driven away by the closure of Long Street, which is one of just two large long-stay car parks.

And residents who live in the town centre are equally angry as they say there is nowhere else to park.

Paul Maddock, the owner of the Filling Station sandwich shop in Silver Street, said: "If people can’t get parked they’ll go and do their shopping elsewhere.

“It may seem like a little thing but that is what people think about.”

He added: “As a trader you like to be able to park close by and not worry about it."

Jane Wood, who works for Cornell Sailing Events Ltd in Parsonage Street, was also furious.

She said: “It’s absolutely appalling. I’ve received three parking tickets when I haven’t used the car park in Long Street.

“Most of the car parks in Dursley only let you stay there for three hours, which isn’t any good for people that work here or people coming to go on long walks.”

While Kat Ives, who lives in Long Street, said: “We live on the road and most of the houses there have four or five bedrooms and there just isn’t anywhere else to park.

“There’s a new block of flats opening up as well which will just make the problem even worse.

Continued on page 3 (Continued from page 1) “It’s usually absolutely packed, with residents and people going to work in the town. And what about when we have festivals and events?”

The Long Street car park came into use when the Rackfield car park closed in December 2009 to make way for the supermarket redevelopment in Castle Street.

Stroud District Council, which owns the land, intended Long Street to be a temporary car park but it has become vital to those who drive in and out of the town centre.

SDC, which is working on the Littlecombe housing estate with developer St Modwen, said an alternative parking site would be sought.

Cllr Geoff Wheeler, the leader of SDC and representative for Dursley, said: “Long term parking has been a problem ever since I have lived in Dursley.

“The situation of losing the car park in Long Street is still something that is being discussed and I’m not too sure myself on the timescale in which the car park will be shut.

“What we need to do is look at parking as a whole in Dursley and talk about where it is those users can be placed.”

Fellow district councillor Doina Cornell added: “Parking seems to be the main issue that’s going to come out of the development of the Littlecombe site.

“People are happy to have new houses built in the area but parking is a major concern.”

To lodge a formal objection to any part of the Littlecombe development, visit stroud.gov.uk/docs/planning/planning_main.asp.