ePetition details

Redhouse Lane Car Park

We, the undersigned Call on the Cabinet Member for Parks, Highways and Transport Services at Stockport Council to reverse the proposal to introduce car parking charges on Redhouse Lane car park.

As was mentioned by Cllr Joe Barratt at the Werneth Area Committee on Monday 27th January 2025, introducing car parking charges at this site will effectively amount to the imposition of a “teacher tax”, as the car park is currently used as an overflow for teaching staff that work at Bredbury St Marks Primary school, which has 35 staff and only 12 car parking spaces available. If teachers had to pay for parking each working day over the course of the school year, this would amount to an annual cost each of £456, with the cheapest annual permit being £297.

The site is also currently used by council staff who park at the Start Well Portage service, who support pre-school children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). Not only will car parking charges at this site negatively impact these staff, but also the families of the SEND pre-school children who attend for stay-and-play sessions.

Additionally, as was highlighted by John McNeil, the Chair of Governors at Bredbury St Marks Primary School, also at the meeting of the Werneth Area Committee on Monday 27th January 2025, there has been no consultation with the primary school as part of the development of these plans. He expressed his concerns for the proposals, which include an increase in danger to children if more parents decide to drop-off on the road, rather than pull into the car park, as a result of the parking charges.

Furthermore, concerns were also raised at the meeting by Eric Green, on behalf of St Marks Church, about the negative impact that introducing parking charges at Redhouse Lane car park will have on the church's car park, when it comes to the availability of spaces for funerals and church services.

Based the points outlined above, we ask the Cabinet Member to think again about including this car park as part of the council's plans to introduce parking charges across Stockport.

This ePetition runs from 31/01/2025 to 14/03/2025.

200 people have signed this ePetition.