Victory for Amersham anti-parking campaigners (From Bucks Free Press)

Victory for Amersham anti-parking campaigners

7:30am Tuesday 1st December 2009 in News By Andy Carswell

A “HUGE team effort” by residents and businesspeople in Amersham led to controversial plans to introduce on-street parking charges in the town being scrapped, campaigners said this week.

The scheme was pulled by Buckinghamshire County Council on Friday following protests against the plans, which would have meant motorists would have had to pay to park in the Old Town.

More than 1,000 people wrote letters and a further 700 signed a petition protesting against the proposals after they went on public display for the first time two weekends ago.

Campaigners took to the streets dressed as traffic wardens to protest against the proposals at the exhibition.

Sarah-Jane Axelby, who led residents' protests, said she was “ecstatic” the council would not go ahead with the plans.

The 34-year-old mum-of-one of Whielden Street said: “It's a victory for the people and we're really thrilled with the outcome.

“The main thing I want to get across is a massive thank you to everyone for picking up their pens, sending emails and putting up posters.

“The support from the local paper was great and it's all come together for a winning campaign. Everybody played a part in putting a stop to this madness.

“The overwhelming support of residents is what has put a stop to this.

“I want to thank everyone for filling in the forms and the emails over the last two weeks.”

Patricia Rowe, owner of the Beautifully Active store in Whielden Street, said: “We were pleased with the outcome. The credit has got to go to the residents, especially Sarah-Jane for organising it all.

“We've been fighting this for two years. We've had to tell them no so many times, and now they have got the message.

“It's democracy in action.”

Cllr Martin King said he was “happy” the plans had been dropped but added: “I'm very disappointed in the fact it's cost an awful lot of money. It's cost Chiltern District Council an absolute packet and they knew the people of Amersham were 100 per cent against it.

“I'm elated for the people of Amersham but very disappointed with the council for the amount of money and time wasted on it.”

The decision has also been welcomed by the town's MP Cheryl Gillan.

She said: “I visited the exhibition and had expressed my own concerns about the scheme as well as making sure that the councils were informed of the views of the constituents who contacted me about it.

“I had asked the councils to rethink and am pleased that they have responded to the many representations from constituents in this way about the Old Amersham scheme.”

The plans were agreed in principle by Chiltern District Council last December before the county council carried out a final consultation this year.

Cllr Val Letheren, Cabinet Member Transport for Buckinghamshire said: “The analysis of the forms we received from the exhibition shows that the majority of the respondents were not in favour of the proposals for the Traffic Regulation Order and it is obvious that however much it was modified the proposals would still be unacceptable.”