Appendix 2 – Correspondence received after 3rd October
1.From: XXXXXXXXX
Sent: 10 November 2013 18:48
To: Antrobus, Councillor D; n
Subject: parking scheme on Merchant's Quay
Dear Councillor Antrobus,
This email is to register my objection to any further parking schemes on Merchant's Quay.
Thanks,
XXXXXX
2.From: XXXXXXXXXXX
Sent: 29 October 2013 12:25
To: Antrobus, Councillor D; n
Subject: Proposed Parking Scheme: Merchant's Quay
As a resident and house owner on Merchant's Quay, I wish to register my opposition to the proposed scheme.
I consider the is a matter which should be funded by the council and not the residents. Any permits for parking should be given to residents for free and work along side any council implemented scheme. I am aware such a scheme is operated by the Council in Kingston Upon Thames, whereby the council were responsible for the cost of setting up the scheme, signage etc. Residents were given a permit and a booklet containing a limited number of vouchers for residents to give to visitors/workmen visiting the property. Anybody else wanting to park on the street is required to pay at a meter, limited to 1 hour. This system works very well and has resolved parking issues in that area.
Regards
XX Merchant's Quay
Sent from my iPad
3.From: Neil Ramsay [mailto: XXXXXXXXXX
November 2013 17:33
To: Antrobus, Councillor D
Subject: Merchants Quay proposed parking scheme
Dear Sir,
We would like to register our opposition to the proposed parking scheme for Merchants Quay, Salford Quays.
We live in Merchants Quay and have already opposed this scheme with the Leasehold company, Rendall and Rittner. One of the reasons we oppose it is that it doesn't seem to us that there is a lack of parking, even during Old Trafford match days.
As we understand it, Salford Council would need to patrol this area to manage the proposed scheme. In these times of austerity, this would appear to be an unnecessary cost for the Council, especially as it seems the majority of residents also don't think it is needed. In comparison, a necessary service, our bin collection, has been cut to every other week (but with no reduction in our council tax), so if this kind of basic service is being reduced due to cut backs, it's hard to understand how this unnecessary parking scheme can be justified.
We look forward to your comments.
Regards
XXXX
Sent from my iPad
______
4.From: XXXXXXX
Sent: 24 October 2013 10:03
To: Antrobus, Councillor D
Cc: XXXX
Subject: Merchants Quay issue
Hi Councillor Antrobus
I am XXX a leaseholder at Merchants Quays and a former director of the managing board.
I am contacting you regarding the parking issues at Merchants Quays, which I understand in your position as Assistant mayor your considering a decision on, following pressure from one individual?
I have attached for your attention my own concerns regarding this, and would appreciate your comments by return email.
I might add that we currently have a real major issue with the apartment roof's which in my view this minor issue of parking is detracting time and attention from, and delaying urgently needed repairs.
If you have any problems opening the attached, or want to discuss this in person with me, I can be contacted at, 07852 303255.
Thank you for your time
Regards
5.From:XXXXXXXXX
Sent: 16 October 2013 10:20
To: Antrobus, Councillor D
Cc:XXXXXXXX
Subject: Proposed Traffic Regulation Order at Merchants Quay
Dear Councillor Antrobus
May I add my name to those objecting to the proposed parking scheme for Merchants Quay, Salford, M50 3
I repeat my objections, largely given previously.
Residents already have arrangements for off-road parking, therefore any additional permits should be strictly controlled to avoid 'business opportunities'.All residents need permits for visitors, therefore roadside parking should mainly reflect this.
Proper regard needs to be given to residents whose medical and/or physical condition require extra visitors and who should not be constrained by the one hour rule. It is wrong that such need should attract financial charges.
Please consider my objections
Thank you
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
6.From: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sent: 16 October 2013 16:13
To: Antrobus, Councillor D
Subject: Proposed parking scheme - Merchants Quay
Merchants Quay
Salford
LANCS
M50 3XR
Dear Sir,
I am emailing to you to express my opposition to the proposed parking scheme in the Merchants Quay area. I have never had any trouble parking in the area and even on match days have often found a space. I like the flexibility of having friends and family be able to park in the street when they come to visit too and oppose the costs associated with this proposition.
Regards,
XXXXXX
7.From: XXXXXXX
Sent: 14 October 2013 13:04
To: Antrobus, Councillor D; X
Subject: Proposed Parking scheme for Merchants Quay
Dear Councillor,
I am writing this email to present my opposition to the proposed parking scheme currently being considered for Merchants Quay in Salford quays. I have lived on the quays for over 10 years, partly in rented and now in owned accommodation. I have lived in both a house and now a flat. I have used the driveway, the private parking bays, the public street and occasionally my garage to park. I have lived in shared accommodation as well as on my own and with partners. I have worked typical 9-5 weekday jobs and for a period I worked from home. At other times I have worked as a self employed contractor leaving home early and coming home late. In short, I believe I have experienced just about every working and living arrangement I can imagine and I hope that allows me an objective and pragmatic view with respect to my neighbours needs.
In all the time of living here only once have I ever needed to walk more than 50m from my car to my home and far more typically it has been less than 20m. I consider this an entirely reasonable situation and I can only express my total disbelief that anyone other than a severely disabled or elderly person finds it necessary to begin a petition for parking restrictions.
I expect the nearby football stadium must be one of the contributing factors to the petition. Certainly any time I am caught in the appalling traffic after a match I curse my own foolishness for not making better plans. But that is a separate problem and the volume of traffic on the nearby roads should not be allowed to influence our concerns for parking on Merchants Quay. Yes, match days are busier and yes you can get caught out but with just a little forward thinking parking on match days is totally manageable.
I have read the proposed changes and cannot begin to understand how in any single way they can offer improvement to either the residents nor to the occasional visitors of the area. In fact from my understanding the proposals only make it more expensive for me to park on my own street and a further encumbrance for friends to visit me in their cars. If I were a cynical person I might dare to suggest that this whole proposal is a trick to generate revenue for either the council or some parking management company. I do not actually believe that is the case but so absurd are the proposals it almost beggars my belief!
So please Councillor, please do not believe that all the residents are complaining about the parking. I can only imagine this to be one or perhaps two residents in very specific and a-typical circumstances who are experiencing a problem. Whilst it is a shame for them, please do not execute a mistake by making it worse for the content majority only to appease the noisy few.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX
XX Merchants Quay
PS - Well done for raising the awareness!
8.From: XXXXXXXXX
Sent: 13 October 2013 23:58
To: Antrobus, Councillor D
Cc: nXXXXXXXXX
Subject: New parking scheme proposal for Merchants Quay, Salford Quays
Dear Sir,
My name is Mario Dias and I live in 5, Merchants Quay, M50 3XF, Salford. I´m writing to you regarding a new parking scheme that some of the directors of the estate are trying to bring in. Under the new scheme all residents would have to pay 50 GBP for the privilege of parking in the neighbourhood. The reason for this proposal is apparently tied to the understanding that on football match days the parking is overtaken by fans rather than residents. I can tell you that if that was the case, because of the location of the house we rent, we should be one of the most affected. But I can assure you, that is not the case. For the past year that we have lived here, we have never found this to be a problem. So, the proposers are either misinformed or have other purposes. Regardless, we would like to show our complete opposition to the proposal and we already have signed a petition against it. However this time, a vote will be held among home owners in the estate only. And it is for this reason that I am writing to you. A vote should involve all interested parties rather than just one. Moreover, some of the land owners might not even live in the area anymore. So, we feel that such limited consultation can be biased and not representative of the general interest.
If I failed to explain myself properly or if you feel that you need any further explanation on the matter, please let us know.
Yours faithfully,
XXXXXXXXXXX
9.From: XXXXXX
Sent: 13 October 2013 19:30
To:XXXXXXXX
Cc: Antrobus, Councillor D
Subject: Fwd: Parking scheme application at Merchants Quay
Subject:Parking scheme application at Merchants Quay
Dear Mr XXX
Thank you for your letter to my home, X Merchants Quay, an address which my family has owned for the last 15 years, and where I live with my wife.
We are strongly against any further interference in the parking management of the area surrounding Merchants Quay.
We felt quite marginalised when the previous off street parking measures were introduced without guest parking passes, and with only allocation for two cars per household. Our house number 7 has four bedrooms and at the time was fully occupied. At the time we had a lodger who routinely could not park in front of our house. The wardens responsible for policing this first step in parking measures have been an unmitigated disaster. I have been given several parking tickets on my own property, in my drive which is clearly part of my house on a number of occasions, until a solicitor's letter was sent and it ceased. I have even been given a ticket when legitimately parked with my permit in the car park. None of these tickets were given on match days, which is the mischief which all this complaining claims to address. Every ticket was given at around 5am which is clearly statistically the most financially effective time for the warden or his or her company. I have never seen a warden on a match day, and sometimes, albeit rarely, do see cars in our car park without tickets at this time. The reality is that this regulation doesn't work to any great extent, and much more importantly inconveniences residents significantly, all to solve a problem that barely exists.
The reality is that there is no massive parking problem on Merchants Quay. On match days it can be a bit crowded, but it is always manageable. We now have a residents parking system. Adding to the aggressive territorial reach of certain residents by making it an even more inhospitable environment is pointless.
There is a hardcore of unrepresentative moaning residents whose voices are loud on this because they go to meetings and want to preserve some sense of their own little village on the quays. But it's not a village. We are in the city. This vocal contingent do not represent the vast majority of the residents, who are simply too busy with matters of importance like their work and families to be worried about such trivia. I don't usually feel compelled to write or complain, but enough is enough. These busybodies don't speak for me or most of the people on the quays. It's already too regulated here, and many residents are getting sick of these people making bad decisions on behalf of the majority on the basis of poorly attended and pointless meetings. Most of us just pay our service charge, and just want to be left alone, without paying for a new revenue stream for parking wardens.
If you would like to speak to me about this or anything else, please call me via my office during business hours or on my mobile phone in the evening. Feel free to redistribute this email and consider this a no vote to whomever it should be sent.
Kind regards,
XXXXXXXXXX
10.XXXXXX
> Sent: 11 October 2013 15:22
> To: Antrobus, Councillor D
> Cc: Findley, Chris; Fletcher, Sally
> Subject: Merchants Quay Proposed Residents Parking Scheme
> Dear Mr Antrobus,
> I understand Mr XXXXXXXX produced a residents petition in which he claims a 2 to 1 majority in favour of not having the parking scheme.
> I am extremely surprised and concerned about this as our survey in 2008 of residents was overwhelmingly in favour by 90%. The recent vote of owners also backed the scheme by 70% which included covering the cost of implementing the scheme of approximately £4500.00. The reason for the second vote was simply because of the time lapsed since the first vote. Prior to the second vote we sent out 3 letters and had two public meetings for people to express and vote on the matter. I have all documented evidence to back up the letters about the first petition, which was given to council by Cllr Peter Dobbs in 2008 and the meetings and letters for the second meeting. We have also had several site meetings with Mr Andrew Williams to negotiate the best possible scheme for all residents. Mr Andrew Enfield of 123 Merchants Quay was also always present at these site meetings.
> Bearing in mind we have been trying to resolve this parking scheme for the past 5 years, when i knocked on each individual door for weeks and hours on end collating opinions and the vote. The problem has also become much more acute now, due to Hotels and Salford College Conference facilities as well as the fact its being used as a free car park for commuters and Media City staff, as well as Airport Valet parking. Three vehicles from an airport valet company parked on the estate for a two week period some weeks ago. This is completely unreasonable and we are currently investigating this issue further.
> We were told that Rendall and Rittner would attend your planning meeting (October 3rd) to represent us on this matter but was extremely disappointed to find out that nobody had attended on out behalf. Had we know this then myself and several other tenants would have been there to express our feelings in favour of the scheme.
> I am extremely concerned from what i am hearing from residents that Mr Parrots survey may have presented the facts in a misleading way and i am in the process of knocking on doors, along with other tenants, once again to better understand views on the recent issue. I expect to have the results of this third poll by the end of October.
> I urge you to await the outcome before reaching a final decision on the matter. If another planning meeting is proposed also, then residents in favour have already said they would attend in order to get both sides of the issue.
> I look forward to your response.
11.From: XXXXXXX
Sent: 12 October 2013 09:20
To: Antrobus, Councillor D
Subject: Parking at Merchants Quay.
XXX
XX Merchants Quay
Salford Quays M503XQ
Dear Councillor Antrobus.
I have already signed a petition opposing the creation of a paying parking scheme for the road on Merchants Quay i have two parking permits for the private land on Merchants Quay and this is more than adequate and i will not pay for a further scheme for other people to use.I would be grateful if Salford Council followed the wishes of the Majority of Merchants quay residents ,not just a few of the Directors that wish to resurrect a dead scheme i am firmly against this parking scheme.
XXXX
12.From: XXXXXXXX
Sent: 12 October 2013 17:25
To: Antrobus, Councillor D
Cc: XXXX
Subject: Parking on Merchants Quay
Dear Councillor Antrobus , I write to object to the proposed parking scheme planned for Merchants Quay, Salford.
I have lived on the Quays since 2002 when my brother purchased the flat that I live in. Never, in all this time, have I had a problem with finding a parking space.
Yes it does get busy at times and you might have to park a bit further up the road but this is usually on a match day when United are at home ( approx 20 days a year) but even then I have never had a problem parking.
So, am I being asked to pay £50 a year plus a set up fee for 20 days parking that united are at home?
I also do not agree with the extra £50 per household set up fee being taken from the residents fund. That £4,525 should be used for the good of all residents not just car drivers but that is another matter.
It is not just about the money either. Some individuals see Merchants Quay as a private estate where to quote one supporter of the scheme"Plebs and riff raff" should not be allowed to park.
All people who already pay their car tax should be able to park on the highway and I want to keep Merchants Quay as a public highway.