Disabled expert in parking spaces row
This is Lancashire
By Paul Keaveny
A CONSULTANT advising Bolton Council has criticised planners for ignoring her recommedations over the placing of disabled parking bays at a new multi-million pound retail park.
As reported in the Bolton Evening News, disabled driver Geoffrey McBride, from Breightmet, slammed the new retail park on the site of the former Trinity Street bus depot because the spaces are too far away from the shops.
He said the spaces allocated for disabled parking, on the far side of the car park, are too far away from the shops and claimed more should have been done to help people with mobility problems when the area was being planned.
Now, Brenda Trigance-Clark, a voluntary un-paid consultant who examines planning applications to assess their impact on the disabled community, says her advice was ignored by planning chiefs.
She said today: "I said these bays should be near the front of the stores but Bolton Council gave planning permission for them to go where they are now. The council needed to deal with it. I looked at the planning application and I clearly asked for these spaces to be put near the entrance."
Ms Trigance-Clark said: "I am disabled but I don't use my wheelchair unless I am really ill. If I don't use my legs I will loose the use of them altogether so I need parking near the shops."
A Bolton Council spokesperson said: "The responsibility of the layout of the bays lies with the developers. However, the council recognises that the situation is not ideal so we are negotiating with them to relocate some of the disabled bays and also meeting with Brenda on Friday to discuss her recommendations. These will be passed on to the developers."
A spokesman for Sainsbury's said the disabled car parking was located in that area due to regulations which state that the disabled spaces have to include an area behind them to allow drivers access to open the boot of the car.
The new retail units opened this year as part of Sainsbury's multi-million pound redevelopment of the old bus depot.
By Paul Keaveny
A CONSULTANT advising Bolton Council has criticised planners for ignoring her recommedations over the placing of disabled parking bays at a new multi-million pound retail park.
As reported in the Bolton Evening News, disabled driver Geoffrey McBride, from Breightmet, slammed the new retail park on the site of the former Trinity Street bus depot because the spaces are too far away from the shops.
He said the spaces allocated for disabled parking, on the far side of the car park, are too far away from the shops and claimed more should have been done to help people with mobility problems when the area was being planned.
Now, Brenda Trigance-Clark, a voluntary un-paid consultant who examines planning applications to assess their impact on the disabled community, says her advice was ignored by planning chiefs.
She said today: "I said these bays should be near the front of the stores but Bolton Council gave planning permission for them to go where they are now. The council needed to deal with it. I looked at the planning application and I clearly asked for these spaces to be put near the entrance."
Ms Trigance-Clark said: "I am disabled but I don't use my wheelchair unless I am really ill. If I don't use my legs I will loose the use of them altogether so I need parking near the shops."
A Bolton Council spokesperson said: "The responsibility of the layout of the bays lies with the developers. However, the council recognises that the situation is not ideal so we are negotiating with them to relocate some of the disabled bays and also meeting with Brenda on Friday to discuss her recommendations. These will be passed on to the developers."
A spokesman for Sainsbury's said the disabled car parking was located in that area due to regulations which state that the disabled spaces have to include an area behind them to allow drivers access to open the boot of the car.
The new retail units opened this year as part of Sainsbury's multi-million pound redevelopment of the old bus depot.
posted by Neil Herron at 9:59 AM
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