Our major recommendations
The Station and Station Parade
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During the consultation process, the Steering Committee was made very well aware of the concern of local people about the appearance and lack of coordination of facilities in the area of the Station and the Parade of shops. Our first priority in considering this issue is to try to ensure that the local shops and businesses there survive and thrive. Alterations to the buildings are, of course, a commercial matter and beyond our brief, but we hope that over a period of time their appearance will be improved.
The Branch railway line is a highly-valued feature of the Village, and when the CrossRail scheme is finished, giving direct access for trains into central London and beyond, it is likely that there will be even greater pressure on our parking facilities. There is already a problem with train-users parking on the shops’ frontage, and the owners rightly regard the retention of this parking for their customers’ use to be of the highest priority.
We recognise that the shops, car park and the station frontage are held in different ownerships, and any scheme for improvement would require the collective agreement and a form of public/private partnership of all interested parties. Previous attempts to repair and improve the car park have failed because of either a shortage of funds, the short notice of some leases, or the problems of small businesses raising large sums for such purposes.
Accordingly, we propose that the Borough Council should carry out a feasibility study for the creation of a public/private
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A single entrance /exit to the Parade and station;
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Clearly designated parking spaces for the station or shops, and the use of modern technology to police them, with no reduction in the number of spaces;
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A kiss-and-ride-facility to permit off-road drop-off/collection of rail passengers;
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An improved re-cycling centre;
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A humped pedestrian crossing from the Parade car park to Country Stores and the adjoining shops and facilities;
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The consideration of the need to provide additional parking elsewhere for rail passengers if demand increases;
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The provision of an off-road bus-stop, and the integration of train and bus timetables to try to reduce the pressure of cars on the site;
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The establishment of the Village Police room, public lavatories, and tourist information in addition to the existing Millennium notice board.
We have investigated the possibility of constructing extra parking spaces on more than one level at the rear of the shops. Alas, this is unlikely to be feasible, and, due to the constraints of the Parade site, there is little possibility of creating more parking there. We believe that it will be necessary to create additional parking in the area. We have been unable to identify a site for this, and further consideration will have to be given to this matter.