CAR PARK FOR YARM ON EAGLESCLIFFE RIVER BANK – “I HOPE THEY WILL NOW ABANDON THIS IDEA”

Residents living on the Eaglescliffe side of the River Tees flocked to Yarm Fellowship Hall on Thursday night to protest about plans for a car park on the Tannery site offAislaby Road, Eaglescliffe.

Conservative-controlledYarmTownCouncil had published their own proposals to alleviate the Yarm car parking problem. These included a new car park on the Eaglescliffe bank of the River, just upstream of Yarm Viaduct, with access for cars fromAislaby Roadat the Pumping Station. Yarm Council had not consulted the Liberal Democrat borough councillors representing Eaglescliffe (Alan Lewis and Maureen Rigg) or Egglescliffe & Eaglescliffe Council, in whose areas the proposed car park would be built.

Eaglescliffe Liberal Democrat Lesley Lewis said, "When we found out about this car park, we immediately put out a leaflet to every house in Egglescliffe and nearby areas of Eaglescliffe, together with Aislaby and Newsham, so that they knew what was being suggested. As a result, many people went to the meeting and made quite clear the problems which this idea would cause - Aislaby Road is too narrow and twisting for existing traffic, there's no pavement most of the way, and the junction with Yarm Road is a nightmare for those who have to use it. The thought of all that extra traffic appals me.

"We all know that something must be done about Yarm's parking and traffic problems. This idea would just export a problem to Eaglescliffe. Why didn't the Tories who run Yarm Council tell the people on the Eaglescliffe side who would be affected? I hope that they will now abandon this idea."