Overhaul needed for coach parking layout

TOWN councillors considered making changes to the layout of coach parking spaces in King Street car park, at a meeting of the council’s economic, development and planning committee, held last month. 

It followed a suggestion received from local businessman, Steve Plummer. In his letter to councillors, he explained that the current parking spaces available for buses and coaches means that drivers cannot get a bus into the last space. He suggested the parking bays should be made diagonal, which would also make the doors more accessible for people getting on and off the coaches. At the moment, he said, you are losing one space if a bus needs to park due to the difficulty of trying to use the last space which is up against the wall.

Chair of meeting, cllr Graham Ellis, said it was a sensible idea. The town clerk asked how it would be funded, saying that Wiltshire Council Highways had said they would not fund works to car parks for coaches. Cllr Ellis asked how much it would cost to paint white lines.

Cllr Jon Hubbard said, “This is an opportunity for us to look at how we utilise spaces for coaches and buses. We do not have a bus station, but there is space along the back wall. This is an opportunity for us to explore the possibility of using that space to make a better coach park, a better facility for the town.

Cllr Ellis agreed saying, “Let us look at it properly.” The town clerk reminded councillors that a survey was being carried out of all the town car parks, as part of the town centre masterplan and, as a result, councillors agreed that they would include the coach parking facility at King Street car park as part of the review.