Parking, antisocial behaviour – and your parish council
Our Facebook village hubs regularly carry comments from people about the behaviour we all endure now from some of our less welcome visitors: poor parking and anti-social behaviour at Paper Mill Lock and along the river; and the speeding problem in our lanes. These posts often include remarks such as “Why doesn’t Little Baddow Parish Council do something about it?!” We hope to make it clear in this post just how much we care and just how much we ARE doing about it – and have been for some time. Little Baddow Parish Council members work hard – often round the clock – on the matters assigned to them, but not everyone sees all this work and effort. And Parish Councillors are not paid – another point of misunderstanding often seen on social media.
Parking at Paper Mill Lock has been an ongoing issue for many years and it was the Parish Council who agitated and advocated for the clearway signs, double yellow lines and regular warden enforcement. We are in constant contact with the relevant agencies to enforce parking restrictions and ensure there are no obstructions for vehicles – particularly vehicles like fire engines and ambulances, which have often had to turn round and go another way. Sadly, some of those parking irresponsibly have been heard to say that the fine is still worth it for a good family day out. Obviously those people do not find a problem with the idea of blocking emergency services or local residents.
Road markings are the responsibility of Essex Highways, with South Essex Parking Partnership handling the enforcement of parking restrictions. If the road IS blocked, then it becomes a police matter to remove obstructions, as this constitutes serious anti-social behaviour.
A ‘River Task Force’ has now been set up, including representatives from Essex Waterways, Essex Police and the South Essex Parking Partnership, along with your Chelmsford City Councillors and Parish Councillors, to agree the actions we can take to alleviate issues.
For some while, Little Baddow Parish Council has been seeking discussions with the landowners on either side of Paper Mill Lock to identify possible car park locations, with support from our County Councillor to gain funding from ECC. In addition, a meeting with the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for Essex is to be held to request that the Rural Policing Team make regular patrols along the riverbank during busy periods.
Suggestions on how to improve the situation are most welcome from YOU and you can address the Parish Council at one of their regular meetings at the Memorial Hall, which are publicised in the parish magazine Little Baddow News and on the Parish Council website. So please, don’t assume nothing is being done and don’t be too hasty to blame those who are working hard for you.
