Parking loophole to be closed, says highways boss

Councillor Dan Morris said signs would be installed to prevent people parking on Market Street in Shrewsbury

A parking loophole in part of Shrewsbury is due to be closed, according to a highways boss.

Various issues relating to the area around The Square in Shrewsbury were discussed by Shropshire Council leaders last week.

It comes after some motorists have been parking on Market Street without paying due to a lack of parking signs on the narrow one-way street.

Highways portfolio holder Dan Morris said the council was also working on improvements to delivery routes in the area, in an attempt to protect The Square’s stone cobbles.

A number of the cobbles have been damaged by heavy goods vehicles, and subsequently patched up with asphalt.

Bowbrook councillor Alex Wagner asked what the authority was planning to do in relation to the “shabby, cracked” flagstones, describing it as one of the town’s flagship tourist locations.

“This is in part due to the use of Princess Street as a cut-through, with many cars and HGVs passing by every day, despite the fact the area is meant to be access only,” he said.

Mr Morris said the council was often forced to patch The Square with asphalt to reduce the possibility of trips and falls to members of the public.

He conceded that this was unpopular and not the approach the council wanted to take.

Mr Morris said the council hoped to prevent or limit HGV access to a designated delivery corridor.

Signage which would allow parking enforcement on Market Street was also planned to go up by the end of this month, he said, and this would enable parking fines to be issued to people parking there.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.