There was an excellent turn out at the Hinton Hall yesterday evening to discuss the Tisbury Parking Situation. The meeting was chaired by Tisbury Parish Council’s Patrick Duffy and the presentations made by Tisbury Parish Councillor and West Tisbury Parish Clerk Mrs Janet Amos and Mrs I Lacy a sometime West Tisbury Parish Councillor. Seemingly when the question was posed there was no one at the meeting who was actually a representative of the West Tisbury Parish Council. There were two Wiltshire County Councillors there, our own and Wilton’s who is a resident of Tisbury. All made valuable contributions to matters arising.

Everyone was interested to hear which Tisbury Parish Council’s prior involvement was, in the matter of purchasing a certain piece of land either for use as a parking area or as an area of local amenity. By the end of the meeting near two hours later, one understood as a bystander that there was no call for further amenity land in the Village, nor was there enthusiasm for providing more commuter parking, which would only attract others from ‘without’ the Parish, be they from West Tisbury or more outlandish areas such as Warminster, where it seems Tisbury Station has something of a following. Was there a show of hands that gave some support to the field being bought for both Commuter Parking and Amenity ? Providing trees be planted, and that the biodiversity of the site be preserved.

There was talk of negotiating on the asking price of £40,000. And mention made that the price would be £40 per household on average. I will love to hear how that figure was arrived at, for if the money was to come through the Parish Precept, it doesn’t work that way, for all manner of folk have easements of one kind or an other. Single occupiers of a property have a 25% discount, ‘two home occupiers’ a 10% discount on one . Discounts are available to some on low incomes, and regulations do I believe theoretically exempt others from paying the Community Charge at all. Seemingly there is a possibility of some of the purchase money being refunded through ‘Grants’. Would a grant come from the WEST TISBURY PARISH COUNCIL too, or would this proposed facility be another of W.T’s ‘Beneficial Perks’. Well if the latter is the case the ‘Purchase’ is no business of West Tisbury. It was suggested from the floor that the meeting should not take into account the votes of persons not residents of TISBURY PARISH. One of the principal speakers was heard to comment that she lived only just outside the Parish Council Area. QUITE SO, you Madam SHOULD be in TISBURY but you are not. The status quo is an absolute nonsense and the sooner the matter is righted the better for us all. One wonders who, other that the West Tisbury Parish Councillors would object to the two Parishes amalgamating as one.

There were West Tisbury Residents at the meeting, who made valuable contribution not only to the discussion, but too had given practical help over the Tisbury Parking Problem. ( Not everyone at the meeting believed there was such a problem, and the T.P.C’s ‘Special Investigator’ detected many vacant day time parking spaces not only in the ‘Nadder Close’ Car Park, but too in the Station Car Park .

Unfortunately no one seemed able to do more than estimate the area of the land under discussion. (Where Is that splendid Survey Map TisVis bought, if the land area isn’t marked there on, use Simpkins Rule to ascertain its area.) There was however an proximation that the plot might be three acres. IF such is the case the asking price for this site would be £13,333.33 per acre. That is twice the most exorbitant price for prime quality agricultural land. This isn’t any sort of Agricultural land, but is designated as a flood plain. As such its only value is as amenity wasteland. I think it would be very wrong to let the owner believe that the Parish would have the slightest interest in buying at his price. A suggestion was made from the floor that we might make a ‘take it or leave it’ offer of £10,000. Two adjacent owners had contrary opinions concerning the matter of flooding, one said that it had flooded thrice in the last ten years, the other that it hadn’t done so at all in the last ten years. I estimate a CAR PARK on this site would cost HALF A MILLION POUNDS not forty thousand pounds, but Professional advice is needed, not guesstimation by anyone.

There were suggestions made of alternative sites:
1.THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
The idea here would be to use the whole area from the Poole Bridge Boundary wall, not only as a Car Parking area but too as provision for the construction of a new Village Hall, that might incorporate a Community Centre, and Tisbury Social Centre available for all interests. If all that was to happen clearly Tisbury United could be invited to relocate to the Nadder School Playing area.
2.THE STATION WORKS (EX PARMITER SITE).
This site is owned by the St. Modwyn Property Company. One is advised that it is not for Sale. Everything is for sale in life, offer them three million and it is yours, but maybe that is not what we have in mind. IF it doesn’t let, it is because no one wants so much wasted space. A while back Messrs Fry of ‘Hindon Lane’ fame offered to buy the site at its then current valuation and divide the premises up for local small business. Their offer was not accepted, because the owner wasn’t interested in ‘current valuation’ for then as now, it wished/wishes to redevelop the site for housing. This web site once advised that Tisbury would land up not only with houses at Hindon Lane, but too at Station Works.
3.EXTENDING THE NADDER CLOSE CAR PARK.
The owner of the field to the East of the Nadder Close Car Park may be willing to donate some of his land to the Parish, providing he is allowed to build houses fronting the South side of The Avenue. This website made mention of this too, many moons ago, coupling it with the suggestion that the Farmers Land might be used for the construction of a Village Hall.

All were agreed on the fact that we wished to retain free parking in Tisbury. Apparently we might do this if the Tisbury Parish Council was to assume all responsibility for the ‘Nadder Close Car Park. Possibly this is the most feasible thing for it to do, one suggestion being that it would be for residents parking only on a time limited basis.
Friday, 17 September 2010.