If only life were so easy – Anthony Rae speaking for the objectors claims that cutting the hours of permitted use at the Garden Street Car Park in Hebden Bridge will magically solve the town's parking crisis.

I suppose he is going to vaporise those that currently fill the car park every day – for every street into, in and around Hebden Bridge, including the main A646, is already cluttered with vehicles.

No. The answer is a much larger car park which can accommodate short-stay shoppers, longer-stay contract parkers and residents.

That is the purpose of our application – 160 spaces, below ground, out of sight in place of the current 55 spaces – with a delightful pedestrian public square above.

John Rose may not know a single person in Hebden Bridge who is in favour of the scheme.

This is part of the problem – the objectors only talk to each other and do not listen to the general population, the vast majority of whom have consistently supported measures to increase parking on this site in every independent survey undertaken – and still do!

Even the objectors meeting on Tuesday night had more supporters than I expected. A few even managed to speak out and voice their support – and it takes courage to speak out publicly in the face of organised battalions of 200 or so opponents.

It was a lively meeting and I wish to give my sincere thanks to Councillor Fekri for his firm chairmanship.

However, as I pointed out on the night, 250 people represent less than two per cent of the population.

The meeting was quite atypical – largely a gathering of the articulate and affluent who now compose a growing element in the town – but it will not be them who suffer if the scheme does not go ahead. It will be the local business owners and especially those who work for them!

David E. Fletcher
Resident, businessman and member of Development Team.