City council urged to consult disabled groups over plans to remove parking bays in Sutton Coldfield
Birmingham City Council has been urged to talk extensively to disabled groups over plans to remove three parking bays in Sutton Coldfield town centre.
The city council proposes to extend the footway outside the Halifax Bank on Birmingham Road, removing three existing disabled parking spaces outside the bank.
They want to make social distancing measures outside the bank permanent.
But at a meeting of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council's Highways and Planning Committee last night, concerns were raised overt the plans and the City Council has now been urged to hold a consultation with local groups.
Councillor Sam Simper, Reddicap Ward, said: "I would be inclined to object outright to these plans.
"We are moving away from social distancing rules and it seems more important to have disabled parking spaces than extending the footpath.
Councillor David Allan, Sutton Trinity, added: "It seems there's enough space for pedestrians."
Committee chair Clare Horrocks, councillor for Four Oaks, said: "What I would propose as the way forward is to ask Birmingham City Council to go away and consult with the disabled community.
"I'd ask them to bring back to us the result of that consultation so we can look at it further and so we can understand what the purpose and the value is of their plans for expanding the pedestrian footway there.
"We can then consider that in light of a genuine consultation with the disabled community."
An information briefing says: “Further to the success of the social distancing measures in Sutton Coldfield outside the Halifax bank, delivered under the emergency powers, the decision has been taken to extend the footway permanently to create an enhanced space for pedestrians.”
The committee were supportive of a consultation as a way forward.
Birmingham City Council has said: “Our recommendation would be to proceed with the footway extension as there are enough disabled bays and disabled parking in the vicinity.”
One Sutton resident, Ray Prichard, told the Express and Star's sister title, the Royal Sutton Coldfield Chronicle: "There are nowhere near enough disabled bays nearby.
"The majority of disabled bays are along Brassington Avenue but most of those are usually full and all of them require any disabled person to walk up to a quarter of a mile to the Gracechurch Centre or to Halifax because there is no way through from Brassington Avenue to The Parade."
