Taxi Driver Online

June 14, 2007 Thursday

Council says no to taxi rank

Evesham Journal

EVESHAM Town Council and two local businesses in the town have objected to plans to create a taxi rank along Waterside. [/b]

The stretch of road is frequently used by customers of the numerous restaurants and takeaways in the area and parking is already limited.

Councillors opposed to the plan on the grounds it would reduce parking even further although they agreed a taxi rank was needed in the town, but at a more suitable location such as Burford Road in Bengeworth.

The owner of Waterside Chinese agreed. In a letter to Sue Gunnell, the licensing technical officer at Wychavon District Council, he said loosing two parking spaces would create more congestion along an already congested road.

He said noise would become a problem too.

"Having a taxi rank virtually outside could possibly create more noise in the early hours with drunks waiting for taxis," he added.

The planned rank would be immediately outside The Cheque Exchange. The company director, Sarah Mitchell, also wrote to Ms Gunnell with concerns about the affect on customer parking.

Mrs Mitchell said: "Our customers find the availability of a car park space immediately outside the shop invaluable. When we first opened there in 1999 one of the attractions for the site was the ability of our customers to park very close by."

The parking spaces within the lay-by had been taken up with lorries, skips and vans over the last few months as renovations were being carried out at the Indian restaurant next door. Now the work is completed, Mrs Mitchell was hoping their customers could continue to use the spaces to park.

The proposal was being considered at a meeting of the licensing committee yesterday.
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