An ongoing survey by Melksham Town Council has confirmed that parking provision in the town centre remains residents’ biggest bugbear.
Since October, Melksham Town Council has been using an online survey hosted at myEnvolve.com to give the public their say on facilities in the town centre.
The results are illuminating. Of 76 respondents, 77.6% are aware of the parking redemption scheme in the town with only 14.9% of these who know about the scheme choose to use it, however.
When asked why, respondents told the council they didn’t know which shops were part of the scheme, and objected to spending a minimum of £10 to qualify for the redemption. Many more said they dislike having to ask shops to reimburse their parking charge, and don’t believe that independent retailers should have to “pay” for their customers to park locally.
A number of residents went on to state that Melksham’s lack of cost-effective parking is among their biggest concerns about the town centre, damaging the town’s appeal to visitors.
Melksham residents can still have their say using the survey, which is online until the New Year. From January, Melksham Town Council will be using the results from the consultation in their town planning for 2015.
To access the survey, residents should head to www.myenvolve.com/project/melkshamtowncentresurvey2014.
To thank members of the public for completing the questionnaire, Melksham Town Council has negotiated a number of exclusive local rewards, including:
Andy York Photography – 10% off framing service or print restoration • Candy Jax – 20% off in-store • CJ’s Cafe – Free medium coffee • Flowers in Focus – 10% off all orders • Future of Football Academy – Free Little Kickers session for 3 and 4 year olds and Free training session for children aged 5 – 13 • Honeys on the Corner – 20% off in-store.