Activists campaign in Saltburn ahead of Marine Parade vote

Members of Saltburn Against Promenade Changes (SAPC) have taken to the promenade on Marine Parade over the last few weeks to raise awareness of the vote on planned parking changes to the area. This comes after community backlash saw Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) halt the plans and decide to hold an online consultation to gain a clearer view from residents. Gemma Booth, 36, an organiser for SAPC, said they were doing their best to alert everyone to the council's survey before voting ended yesterday (Wednesday, November 29).

She said: "We've just been trying to get the word out, 600 homes in Saltburn didn't get the council letter delivered that notified them of this survey, so we've been doing our best so that everybody does know it's there and do know they have a voice. "Hopefully, we've made everyone aware. It's been great.

"At the beginning of the process, we found there was a lot of apathy out there, people were saying it didn't matter what you did, the council will go ahead and do what they wanted anyway. "I think it's been a brilliant example to show people that actually they do have a voice, and what they think does matter. "Hopefully, going forward, we will see a lot more people engaging with Saltburn and making sure, when they get the opportunity, that their voice is heard.

Ms Booth said the group had been fighting to ensure people could vote offline, with a agreement later reached that people could vote at the library. She said they have had very positive conversation with both residents and visitors to the town. Ms Booth added they had been campaigning because they did not think the consultation had been well publicised.

An RCBC spokesperson said the proposed works for Marine Parade are seeking to improve parking for the area and increase capacity. They added the reason behind this would be to create better trade opportunities for local businesses and increase highway safety. They also confirmed the introduction of pay and display or residents parking is not included in the changes.

Speaking in October on the decision to hold the consultation, Councillor Carl Quartermain said: "When I stepped into the role of cabinet member for highways and transport, I was handed the completed plan of the Saltburn Masterplan to sign off on, as well as the Marine Parade Transport Plan. "I was happy to approve these plans, subject to a period of final comments which I extended up to the 29th of September. "Subsequently, I have poured over the 1,800+ replies and decided to hit pause over the changes to Marine Parade because this was where most of the targeted comments were about, and the views were mixed.

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Limited time only[1] "So, I'm hitting the brakes until we're crystal clear. I want a clearer view from the residents and business owners of Saltburn, as to whether they are behind this plan.

"Then, once I have the data back, I will decide how we move forward based on what we've learned." A decision is expected to be announced on the proposed works soon.

References

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