Comment
Rayleigh Town Centre Area Action Plan - Issues and Options
Representation ID: 23929
Received: 06/12/2009
Respondent: The National Trust Rayleigh Mount Local Committee
One minor issue is the lack of adequate notice boards for displaying posters about community events, etc. The triangular boards near the town clock are always full (mostly with town council/ district council information). The larger boards outside the civic suite are right on the edge of the town centre and seen by fewer people, except, perhaps, on market day. A few public spirited shops will display posters, but have little space to do so.
I wonder if an alternative would be for a shop to have a TV in its window showing posters, notices, etc. from a DVD or similar media format. Even if the council does not have the technology to produce such a thing, there must be a local business that could do so? If a few adverts were included, it might even pay for itself. In this way, a large number of community posters could be shown in a very limited space.
It would be useful, for instance, to inform people about things like this present town centre consultation which, I am sure, is taking place without the majority of Rayleigh residents even being aware of its existence.
(Additional DVD copies would allow showing on the TV screen in the Windmill, maybe a screen at the railway station? Or in the library? Or maybe in Somerfields/Co-op supermarket?)
A rather more major issue not addressed is that of car parking charges and the charging structure. How a consultation document as thick and as detailed as this can mention parking charges only once (to indicate that it was an issue raised at the 'place check' event) almost beggars belief. Given that it is widely accepted that a real competitor for customers consists of out-of-town shopping centres, where ample free parking is provided (In Rayleigh High Street's case particularly the stores at the weir), parking charges are a crucial issue.
There is free parking on Saturday afternoons at Websters Way, etc. - but you have to read the small print on the parking signs to realise this. Time and again, I have seen visitors to the town putting money into the machines when they don't need to. If the council is serious about encouraging the High Street to thrive, big signs in the car parks advertising free parking concession would be one of the easiest ways of doing so. It would actually be very worthwhile having bold signage in the High Street itself pointing this out, and along Websters Way, so that through traffic was encouraged to make a stop off.
In terms of charging structure, a low charge for a very short stay (say half an hour) would be most helpful for people only wanting to nip in for a small amount of shopping. It would also encourage rapid turnover in the car parks, freeing up spaces more quickly.
The council could experiment with an additional free parking concession (say one weekday afternoon), coupled with a co-ordinated and concerted advertising campaign by the High Street shops. (I am surprised the shops do not do more to advertise free Saturday parking themselves- even a poster in a every shop window would have some effect).
Incidentally, paragraph 2.7.12 (pages 25), suggests the possibilities of some areas of existing parking being lost. I am sure this would be counterproductive, and have the out-of-town shopping stores laughing all the way to the bank. The proposed large new area of housing for Rayleigh, off of the London Road, would be too far away for most of the prospective residents to consider walking to the High Street. If they are to be encouraged to use it for shopping, the council will need to have particular regard to public transport links, and also the provision of adequate town centre parking spaces. Would a free council mini bus service to the High Street (and railway station) be too adventurous to consider? (The housing developers might be prepared to contribute towards the cost of this, at least for the first year or two , as a way of helping to sell the houses).
[Free Saturday parking up to Christmas this year, by the way, is an excellent initiative- but not publicised enough.]
One minor issue is the lack of adequate notice boards for displaying posters about community events, etc. The triangular boards near the town clock are always full (mostly with town council/ district council information). The larger boards outside the civic suite are right on the edge of the town centre and seen by fewer people, except, perhaps, on market day. A few public spirited shops will display posters, but have little space to do so.
I wonder if an alternative would be for a shop to have a TV in its window showing posters, notices, etc. from a DVD or similar media format. Even if the council does not have the technology to produce such a thing, there must be a local business that could do so? If a few adverts were included, it might even pay for itself. In this way, a large number of community posters could be shown in a very limited space.
It would be useful, for instance, to inform people about things like this present town centre consultation which, I am sure, is taking place without the majority of Rayleigh residents even being aware of its existence.
(Additional DVD copies would allow showing on the TV screen in the Windmill, maybe a screen at the railway station? Or in the library? Or maybe in Somerfields/Co-op supermarket?)
A rather more major issue not addressed is that of car parking charges and the charging structure. How a consultation document as thick and as detailed as this can mention parking charges only once (to indicate that it was an issue raised at the 'place check' event) almost beggars belief. Given that it is widely accepted that a real competitor for customers consists of out-of-town shopping centres, where ample free parking is provided (In Rayleigh High Street's case particularly the stores at the weir), parking charges are a crucial issue.
There is free parking on Saturday afternoons at Websters Way, etc. - but you have to read the small print on the parking signs to realise this. Time and again, I have seen visitors to the town putting money into the machines when they don't need to. If the council is serious about encouraging the High Street to thrive, big signs in the car parks advertising free parking concession would be one of the easiest ways of doing so. It would actually be very worthwhile having bold signage in the High Street itself pointing this out, and along Websters Way, so that through traffic was encouraged to make a stop off.
In terms of charging structure, a low charge for a very short stay (say half an hour) would be most helpful for people only wanting to nip in for a small amount of shopping. It would also encourage rapid turnover in the car parks, freeing up spaces more quickly.
The council could experiment with an additional free parking concession (say one weekday afternoon), coupled with a co-ordinated and concerted advertising campaign by the High Street shops. (I am surprised the shops do not do more to advertise free Saturday parking themselves- even a poster in a every shop window would have some effect).
Incidentally, paragraph 2.7.12 (pages 25), suggests the possibilities of some areas of existing parking being lost. I am sure this would be counterproductive, and have the out-of-town shopping stores laughing all the way to the bank. The proposed large new area of housing for Rayleigh, off of the London Road, would be too far away for most of the prospective residents to consider walking to the High Street. If they are to be encouraged to use it for shopping, the council will need to have particular regard to public transport links, and also the provision of adequate town centre parking spaces. Would a free council mini bus service to the High Street (and railway station) be too adventurous to consider? (The housing developers might be prepared to contribute towards the cost of this, at least for the first year or two , as a way of helping to sell the houses).
[Free Saturday parking up to Christmas this year, by the way, is an excellent initiative- but not publicised enough.]