Our thriving street is becoming a ghost town thanks to council’s strict parking rules – we’re being forced out
RESIDENTS say their street will once again become a ghost town thanks to strict parking rules enforced by the council.
Whittaker Lane in Prestwich, Greater Manchester was once filled with boarded-up shops after the local Post Office, chip shop and bakery all closed.
It was later revived, and residents say it's now thriving - but plans to paint double yellow lines threaten to scupper any progress.
Some furious locals have even vandalised parking signs in protest.
Chemist Marc Borson told the : "These double yellow lines will affect livelihoods, local livelihoods. We have had no consultation at all.
"This is simply a diktat being brought down upon high and it's simply not the way we do things around here.
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"Why can't we have a conversation with the council so they understand us?"
Jack Richardson, who owns a barbershop on the street, said: "We have created a community where someone will come and get a haircut then go to the general store to withdraw some money, then maybe to the chemist to get a prescription.
"If they do double yellow it, it will end up turning this street into no man's land.
"There has been no consultation - just a notice put on a lamppost at the end of February saying you have got two weeks to object.
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"It will impact every single business on the whole street. Elderly customers will have to find parking half a mile away, they will not want to come in.
"If they make it hard for people to park they are going to say sod that, I'll go somewhere else."
Mark Jones, who owns a nearby garage, said: " It was a ghost town. It no longer is, because the council wanted to regenerate the area.
"Now that it is a bustling area they are going to shove everyone away."
Shopkeeper Irfan Ghani said: "This proposal could affect sales, shops will shut - it will be a ghost town again."
Bury Council said: "Parking restrictions have existed on Whittaker Lane for decades.
"There is already a single yellow line outside the shops, which means there is ‘no parking’ between 7am and 7pm, Mon-Sat.
"In order to enforce this, however, a supplementary plate – advertising these restrictions – has to be in place.
"This plate has been stolen on 3 occasions and vandalised a further 3 times.
"Councillors have had complaints raised by residents about the illegal car parking on Whittaker Lane.
If they do double yellow it, it will end up turning this street into a no man's land
Jack Richardson
"The move to double yellow lines simply means the restrictions can be enforced when the sign gets stolen or vandalised.
"On wider traffic issues: Whittaker Lane is used by 2,400 vehicles every weekday and is the only thoroughfare linking Bury New Road to Bury Old Road in Prestwich, so is vital for our emergency services. It is also on two bus routes and is used by replacement Metrolink buses.
"The road is 5.6m wide and if one lane is blocked by illegally parked cars then this can lead to traffic struggling to get past.
"When cars park on the existing yellow line they cause really bad congestion. Parking in bays would cause the same amount of congestion.
"Finally, there is ample short stay car parking nearby. Two businesses have their own car park, and there are three free of charge council car parks on Whittaker Lane, Upper Wilton Street and Park Street.
"Local councillors remain committed to local businesses."
The row comes after a shopping hotspot was left full of boarded-up shops after they were forced to close.
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And residents in this once-thriving village say it is also now a "ghost town" which desperately needs help.
Meanwhile, locals in this idyllic seaside resort have been left devastated after it too became a "ghost town" with empty bars and derelict shops.
