Parking concerns at Gloucester car boot spark calls for 1,000 car spaces at Hempsted Meadows

Gloucester car boot organiser Reg Daldry is calling on the City Council to provide 1,000 car parking spaces at Hempsted Meadows. Mr Daldry said he was 'gutted' to break the news last week that the car boot’s final day of trading this year was to be November 17.

His temporary licence for the car boot is running out soon and the car boot site is due to close for essential repair work. Gloucester City Council is going out to tender soon and will be offering a 15-year lease for the site.

Mr Daldry asked Gloucester City Council how they were able to offer a licence for the carboot and market with only 175 car parking spaces available, some six times less than what was approved as par part of a planning application in 2007. He raised concerns that a lack of adequate parking could lead to serious highway safety issues resulting.

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Resources cabinet member Declan Wilson (LD, Hucclecote) said in a written response that the plan he referred to is from an outline permission that was never implemented and referred to parking not to exceed 1000 spaces. “This was superseded by a further application whereby permission was granted for the entire site with the travel plan encompassing the other users of the estate and not just the car boot and market,” he said.

But Oliver Rider, of Zesta Planning, who asked a question on behalf of Mr Daldry said the planning permission from 2007 required 1,000 parking spaces for the car boot site. “That’s an absolute requirement not a maximum,” he told the full council meeting on November 21.

He said the planning officer’s report refers to the 1,000 spaces and makes clear that was what the transport assessment was based on. “Therefore the council based its planning judgement on it.”

He also said there was a condition which required the site to be used in accordance with the travel plan which requires 1,000 spaces. “In order to comply with the 2007 permission for the carboot and market, 1000 spaces are required, not the 175 spaces that are currently being suggested in the licence renewal.”

He asked if any future leases for the site would include the 1,000 spaces and comply with the planning permission.

Cllr Wilson said the issue was too complex to answer there and then due to the level of detail provided. He said a written answer would be provided. The number of parking spaces at the site has remained fixed since 2007.

The current licence allows for 176 spaces along with an overflow parking field and a shared area with another user. Although the site was granted overall permission in principle for 1000 car parking spaces in 2007, this for all of the site's visitors, not just those of the car boot sale, according to the council.