Traders In Lewes Furious Over Planned Covid-19 High Street Parking Suspensions

Monday, 20 July 2020 21:18

By John Warburton @Warblefly

An outcry from many traders has greeted East Sussex Highways' plan to widen pavements in Lewes's main shopping street but suspend 159 metres of parking spaces outside the town's stores — beginning in August.

Lewes's Chamber of Commerce claimed today (July 20) it wasn't properly consulted, and said that banning street parking will discourage visitors.

Leading members expressed great concern over shoppers losing their quick access to business premises, and a possible impact on trade affecting shops only just re-opening after months of lockdown.

According to East Sussex Highways, it's part of the organisation's county-wide response to a Government plan to allow social distancing by widening walking spaces, and encouraging more pedestrians and cyclists in town centres.

However, More Radio has contacted the County Council for a comment, given the immediate, strong and widespread nature of criticism after traders in the town received what they claimed was their first information today.

On its members receiving the note on Monday, Lewes Chamber of Commerce made the following statement:

LEWES HIGH STREET TO BE "BARRIERED" AND ON-STREET PARKING TO BE SUSPENDED FROM AUGUST

We are dismayed to see that East Sussex County Council is giving traders and other businesses on the high street just TWO WEEKS' NOTICE that they are bringing in plans to place barriers on the south side of high street, from Eastgate Street (starting at Natwest Bank) all the way to the lights by Westgate Street (the "bottleneck") and suspending all on-street parking bays (disabled and loading bays, plus bus stops excepted) on the SOUTH SIDE of the high street (i.e. the side that has the majority of the shops going up School Hill).

While we understand ESCC want to make it easier for people to socially distance because some of the pavements not being wide enough, these plans have been brought in without any initial consultation with the traders and other businesses who are only just reopening after several months lost trade due to the Coronavirus, and whose customers have already found as of the start of July the fees for on-street parking in the town had increased (some had doubled).

The Chamber is going to be having an urgent meeting with Lewes High Street Traders Association to put the case for the retailers and other businesses in the high street whose livelihoods will be severely affected.

We feel especially disappointed with ESCC that they are giving people so little time to report if these plans will impact their businesses.

Elsewhere in the town, the plans met with limited approval.

One resident wrote that "at least 3 car parks" could be found "less than 5 minutes walk away" from the popular shopping areas.

Another said, "we High Street residents will enjoy the cleaner air and wider pavement".