The Cookham Plan

TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC

REPORT ON VEHICLE PARKING IN THE COOKHAMS

This is a report designed to look at the key issues of parking and congestion in the Cookhams.

• Present capacity is inadequate, especially for residents and businesses needing on-street parking. There is a definite need and clear opportunities for extra parks.

• A new co-ordinated plan is required, involving formal parking restrictions, designated residents parking areas and payment for parking may need to be considered.

• Regulations are abused and not enforced. This should improve with de-criminalisation and Royal Borough wardens scheduled for January, 2008. However, new regulations must be agreed with the village to best meet the needs of residents and businesses.

• The quality of present parking detracts from the Cookhams and needs to be enhanced.

• Very large and inappropriate delivery and public service vehicles. Negotiation is needed to get smaller ones, possibly with physical road restrictions.

• The solutions depend on land availability, access, and funding. Longer term studies will be needed to achieve implementation over future years.

• Drop-off and pick-up from the five schools needs addressing in the immediate short term.

Open areas where additional parking could be located include:

• Sutton Road – small field

• Behind Holy Trinity Primary school

• Cookham Moor

• Marsh Meadow

Areas needing particular attention include:

• High Street

• School Lane

• The National Trust park on the Moor is an eyesore. It could be combined with a larger car parking development on Marsh Meadow and the existing car park returned to nature.

The Parade and Station (East Side) needs redesigning to address safety issues, to provide more spaces and to provide a station drop-off, linked to its recommended development as a public transport hub for the Cookhams.

The Medical Centre, Chemist and Pinder Hall in Lower Road urgently need more parking and this need will increase.

Open areas where additional parking could be located include:

• The Alfred Major ground, possibly accessed from the Primary school’s East side in High Road, where residents’ parking also is inadequate

• The ‘pony’ field adjoining the Nursery School on Station Approach for staff parking and for pupil drop off and collection.

• The field behind the Medical Centre for the Rise. No access currently exists but one could be created.

• Areas needing particular attention include:

• High Road

• Lower Road (particularly around Medical Centre)

There is less traffic than in the Village and Rise, but roads and lanes are narrow and there are no footpaths. The two main issues concern Church Road and Bigfrith Lane

• Unstructured Parking on the Common occurs for meetings at the two Halls in Church Road. Yellow Line restrictions outside the Halls and formal parking on the Common would improve safety.

• The present informal one-way system in the side lane for the Dean Primary School with drop off area helps ease congestion in Bigfrith Lane and appears to work for the few hours a day it is required.

• There is also an issue re parking near the Church and the Jolly Farmer by office workers. Any further office development would need to be linked to the provision of parking.

1. Costings are needed for agreed possible car park sites.

2. Consultation between the RBWM and residents and businesses needs to be started as soon as possible on new parking regulations.

3. Discussions are then needed with RBWM on funding. 

4. Priorities and rough timings should be addressed and agreed with RBWM. This is likely to be an ongoing process. 

5. Consultation with residents is essential to ensure support in principle and to avoid a repeat of the failed scheme in 2000.

There are serious issues concerning parking and congestion in the Cookhams which threaten residents’ ambitions to preserve the present character and ambience of the village. These require urgent attention as detailed above.

TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC INDEX