Consultation on parking in Coxhoe

Does Coxhoe need more parking for local businesses to trade?

Coxhoe Parish Council is continuing to try to resolve long standing parking issues across the village.

Our plans to move the GP surgery to the Front Street with adequate parking, would of course help the situation on Lansdowne Road and Cornforth Lane significantly.

The Front Street Traders say that the parking restrictions on the Front Street have made it much easier for their customers to stop and shop, which of course was the whole intention of the scheme. If the GP surgery and bungalows are built to the rear of these, it could potentially offer traders and residents of the street access to the rear of their properties to help them with parking too.

The Co-Op are in the process of renewing their lease with their landlords and are hoping to negotiate a reduced rent for a short period to allow them to invest in merging their car park with the Village Hall car park with the only vehicle entrance directly on to the Front Street and potentially providing 25 more spaces.

The Council are continuing to investigate parking improvements around Coxhoe Paving as resources allow. We would however, welcome your views on the potential creation of a parking area fronting on to Coxhoe Commercial Motors with access from the Limes Haul Road. This could potentially remove a lot of long stay parking from that area and make it easier for customers of the businesses at that end of the village and visitors to use the parking bays behind Commercial and free up the Haul Road of obstructions.

To see other consultations, please visit our Consulting our Communities page.

Survey results

Thank you to all who took part. The results are summarised below.

These results will be used by the Parish Council to inform its considerations and decision making. It is clear that not everyone agrees however the Parish Council is committed to doing its best to represent the views of residents.

Many of these activities are longer term aims for an already busy Parish Council, which means that plans and considering resource requirements will take place over coming months and quite possibly years. They also involve working with partners and other organisations, which again takes time and consideration.

Most of the comments received are also below. Please note that identifying characteristics have been removed to remove the risk of people being identified, but the Parish Clerk is considering all responses, including those where a response was requested. The Parish Clerk will be contacting people who requested a response, and when appropriate those who said they would like to be kept informed; please bear with Officers while this takes place.

Consultation on parking in Coxhoe survey results

Does Coxhoe need more parking for local businesses to trade?
Yes 122
No 19
Abstained 1

(a) Would you support the joining of the Coxhoe Village Hall and Co-Op car parks with additional spaces being provided?
Yes 131
No 16
Abstained 0

(b) Would you support rear entrances to the Front Street properties if the bungalow or GP surgery development goes ahead for use by Front Street Traders and residents?
Yes 132
No 10
Abstained 5

(c) Would you support opening of a long stay car park on land in front of Coxhoe Commercial Motors at Commercial Road to provide long stay parking for traders and their staff and customers?
Yes 113
No 33
Abstained 2

147 responses

Comments:

1. It would certainly improve the parking and accessibility to the businesses at the north end of the village.
2. Would only support joing Co Op and Village Hall car park only if done in such a way as to prevent a “”,rat run”” or short cut through to front Street.
3. Can’t really comment in front Street parking as walk to local shops
4. Any action would be beneficial []. Eyesore.
5. I am happy to have parking as long as you do not have to pay for this!
6. No paid parking please,
7. No pay for parking
8. No pay for parking
9. With contributions from the businesses at Limes Haul road to assist in funding this scheme
10. Commercial road currently has high volume of traffic with resident traffic , traffic going to tip and then waggons flying up and down that road . Would be better to curb current traffic issues rather than adding to them . Pedestrians take their lives into
11. I do not consider the Parish Council should be providing car parks. I do not feel it is an appropriate service for the Parish Council to provide. The County Council have provided a car park in Sacriston. The County Council should provide it. I consider that the Parish Council should be spending less not more and the precept should be decreased not increased further. I think it is wrong to ask people if they want a car park without advising how much it will cost. They will think they will get it for free. Of course they will say yes if you asked them if they wanted a multiplex cinema!
12. Joining the Village Hall and Co Op car parks is a good idea. The village hall car park is often difficult for parking.
13. A long stay car park on commercial road is a bad idea and not required but the area proposed is neglected and needs cleaning up regardless. A better solution for parking would be to widen the road replacing the current pavement closest to commercial motors but relocate the pavement on to the strip of grass.
14. Additional parking may be abused by using as an unofficial park and ride into Durham City, so maybe needs some thought regarding employing some restrictions.
15. I need to explain my final response. I’d be concerned that any biggish parking lot might be used by people using the X12 to Newcastle or Middlesbrough, or even car sharers leaving their cars. It probably wouldn’t be I know I just would hate to think it had no benefit to our village. I didn’t think Yes or No really gave me the option to explain.
16. The reason why I am against the proposal to join the Co-op car park with that of the Village Hall is because I live at [] and the closing of the entrance to the car park on Petterson Dale would be most inconvenient as I would have to drive up the High Street to access the entrance at the Village Hall
17. Extra parking should be where the pit wheel is. The wheel is nice, but should have been situated further down (the green area on the other side os Talbots Taxis). Having parking near Commercial Motors is too far away from the shops, people won’t use it.
18. You should have to pay to park your car in the village – you need to run a campaign to get people walking to the schools and shops – why waste the land for parking when you can walk from one end of the village to the other in less than 30 mins. You need to put bike spaces at the coop/village hall and the schools with CCTV, so kids can cycle to school (which the school would have to manage and pay for) and people can pop to the shops and securely leave their bikes. Providing car parking spaces should be permitted and those business owners who don’t live in Coxhoe can apply for a permit and pay, or get the bus or cycle. There are plenty of spaces in the car park for the coop, a normal village wouldn’t have such a large car park as it is! If you want it to be a village that is. By limiting car parking space you’re more like keep the “”village”” aspect, otherwise, it will just be town where everyone runs around in their cars and never walk anywhere or stop and talk to people. The only parking I would agree to is a park and ride allowing people to travel from Coxhoe into Durham
19. I am concerned at the proposed parking at the limes , the junction to the B6921 is already difficult due to the traffic flow . I can foresee further congestion as a consequence of this .
20. Commercial road currently has high volume of traffic with resident traffic , traffic going to tip and then waggons flying up and down that road . Would be better to curb current traffic issues rather than adding to them . Pedestrians take their lives into their own hands trying to get across the road to the nursery. Especially given that the bus stop is directly opposite the entrance to the tip road
21. Don’t feel there is a need for long stay car parking in Coxhoe. Could be better used. Think it would attract the local drug addicts as their is already a problem at the top of commercial road east. Think it would become a place where the younger drivers would meet on a night which is not good for the people living in the prospect place. Don’t agree where the proposed planned entrance would be, as this is very close to the road junction of the main road, and possibly increase the accident rate.
22. I do not see the need for long stay parking in Coxhoe at this location. There is a problem of people parking up and getting the bus into Newcastle or Teesside, yes, but the proposed location is a 10+ minute walk to the nearest X12 bus stop. Motorists will not walk that far.
23. The new parking restrictions have resolved the problem of commuters from other areas dumping their cars all day to get the bus into Durham. We need to reduce traffic not encourage more
24. NO TO JOINING VILLAGE HALL AND CO OP CARPARKS AS WILL BECOME A SHORT CUT TO PETTERSONDALE.
25. Please please please do not reduce the times on the bays on front street. 30 minute bays [] are useless for customers. We did bring this up during the last consultations. [] please don’t make the front street a 30 minute zone – it will wipe out most of the businesses.
26. Since the parking restrictions have been implemented on the front street we are finding more people parking [on] lansdowne road so they can access the front street for longer than the allocated times, taking residents parking spaces.
27. Parking for Coronation Terrace + Back Coronation Terrace is terrible. Should be residents only and not a free for all. Plus what about the comercial vehicles being left taking up spaces for residents.
28. Although I now live in [] I lived in Coxhoe for [] years, []: why is the car parking for the shops so far away from them, would it not be more beneficial to allow parking behind the cemetery. On a pay basis.
29. The doctors surgery staff will take up many parking spaces so consideration needs to be given to patient parking on that side of the road, possibly sacrificing some of the housing. If this is not taken into account you risk moving the parking problem from one part of the village to another with serious consequences for the traders on the front street. Perhaps the social housing needs could be addressed via future housing developments in the village. We only have one opportunity to get this right. If we get it wrong it will seriously impact the traders on the front street and could affect the community for decades.
30. It appears that many of the current parked cars are not actually from the village and are people using the village as a base for park and ride or car shares. Must be very frustrating if you are a local business.
31. I am sick of cars being parked on footpaths. People with mobility issues and parents with small children must find it really annoying. Even in the Avenue where the path is wider, you still see cars parked side by side. Footpaths in Coxhoe seem to be the new car parks.
32. The area in front of Coxhoe Commercial Motors would be the best location for a new medical centre
33. It is important that the aesthetic identity of the village is not compromised
34. The parking at The Avenue is also problematic. [] The Avenue is very congested, also exacerbated by the post office across the road. A solution would be much appreciated! [] There are plenty of empty shops on the high street, perhaps a relocation of the post office would help? [] Maybe someone else may have a suggestion as there are a lot of constraints.
35. I’m not so sure trader’s who have businesses at the top end of Coxhoe will use a car park at the bottom of the village (point 4). If point 2 went ahead people on Petterson Dale and Browning Hill would probably use the ‘open’ car park to access the main road.
36. I agree there is a problem with parking particularly with the nursery, hairdressers garage all parking on the busy road. It is also extremely dangerous crossing the road here. At busy times it can take so long to cross the road to get to the nursery or to walk your children to school. Therefore consideration really needs to be made for people living on the new estates that need to cross the road here, especially if more parking is put in. I feel it is only a matter of time before there is an accident on the road there (outside Hippitots nursery).
37. I hope the plan would include the land [at Foundry Row] for general and community parking.
38. Coxhoe is losing its identity as a village community. I welcome all diversity & development in balance but i dont agree to money speaking for the heartfelt values of our forgotten longstanding residents xx
39. Council should enforce the parking restrictions