Cllr Liz Cohen: Why losing Friars Avenue Car Park is bad for Shenfield
Shenfield's Cllr Liz Cohen explains how the loss of a car park could affect Shenfield residents:
"The news that Crossrail are trying to put a compulsory purchase order on one of our car parks is bad news for businesses and residents alike.
"We already have major issues with parking in Shenfield. We have residents complaining about their roads being used as overflow car parks. If this happens, of course the situation will get worse. Since the increased car parking charges traders can already feel the drop in business. If people start to feel that Shenfield is a nightmare to park, they will avoid the area and shop somewhere else.
"Our car parks are vital to our area, for the elderly, disabled, families with young children and the residents in general. We should not allow CrossRail to make this decision, they are not living here we are.
"We know CrossRail is coming, we hope it brings more business and prosperity to the area, we need to be able to find solutions that work for the community of Shenfield and not impact the area. We can't allow Crossrail to make these demands, where has the communication gone? Talk to us before charging ahead so we can find a solution that doesn't have such a negative effect on our town."