Cannock Chase car parking proposals prompt access fears
- Published
The Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation Partnership said the plans would improve the quality of car parking in the area
Campaigners against proposals to change car parking around Cannock Chase say they fear it will hamper access to parts of the woodland.
The plans involve closing 35 of the current roadside parking locations and creating new car parks which people would have to pay to use.
A campaign group claims people have not been properly consulted.
The local authority said a decision on the changes would be made by the end of the year.
The plans were put forward, external by a coalition of local authorities known as the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Partnership, which said it expected visitor numbers to increase and wanted to make the changes to protect wildlife.
It said it hoped by consolidating the 123 parking areas, they would become easier to manage and generate an income to be reinvested in the Chase.
Staffordshire County Council expects visitor numbers to increase to about three million people a year by 2026
The changes, part of a £7.8m management plan covering the next 20 years, would also increase the overall number of parking spaces by about 500, it said.
More than 6,000 people visited its consultation website between 21 October and 29 November 2019 and it received responses from 130 individuals before finalising plans, it added.
The campaign group Save Cannock Chase, which has more than 2,000 members on Facebook and is holding a litter-picking event at the Chase this weekend, said the proposals would reduce access to certain areas and the cost of parking would keep low-income families away.
Stuart Haynes, from the Save Cannock Chase group, said some people would be priced out of visiting
Spokesman Stuart Haynes said he would prefer to see income generated by inviting visitors to make a donation.
Having only 130 consultation responses is "unrepresentative" of public feeling, he said.
Mr Haynes' mother's ashes are spread around Chase Road and he fears the closure of part of it, which is an option in the proposals., external
The Cannock Chase SAC Partnership has no plans to carry out further consultation, but Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council cabinet member for communities, said: "We welcome every contribution to the debate about managing public access with nature conservation."
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