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Notes of the meeting in Bamburgh Pavilion regarding Speeding

and Car Parking issues in Bamburgh 01/07/2019

In attendance:

Barbara Brook (BB) Chair BPC, Dave Miller (DM) Councillor BPC, Alex Tait (AT) Councillor BPC.

Paul Jones (PJ) NCC, Richard McKenzie (RM) NCC, Guy Renner-Thompson (GRT) County Councillor

David Feige (DF) AONB, Iain Robson (IR) AONB, Jessica Turner (JT) AONB.

Jen Hall (JH) Northern Area representative of AONB.

BB Thanked everyone for coming and opened the meeting by explaining the need to find a solution to both the speed of traffic coming through the village and car parking. She hoped the PC, NCC and AONB could work together to find a solution. Following a previous parish council meeting, the PC had decided to consult with villagers and ask for their views on both these issues. A summary of the views had been forwarded to GRT for distribution. There were 23 respondents to the consultation. The main requests for the PC to put forward were: flashing lights to reduce speed, raised platforms in place of the rumble strips, chicanes at each end of the village and a pedestrian crossing. BB concluded by saying speeding down Church Street since the introduction of double yellow lines was now a major problem.

DF explained that the ANOB was extremely disappointed in the document regarding the ANOB which was recently circulated on the village Google Group and was now on the parish council web site. The ANOB would formally respond to the PC shortly.

PJ stated the starting point was to quantify the perception of vehicles speeding through the village before considering any calming measures. With regard to the pedestrian crossing, that also could be the subject of a survey.

DF/IR raised the subject of the original Ben Hamilton Bailey plan for the village which was to de-clutter the village and traffic would be calmed by introducing different coloured and textured surfaces to the road. Bamburgh was the pilot for Northumberland and the plan had been funded by the AONB.

The meeting agreed that speeding at all parts of the village must be addressed.

PJ and DF/IR reminded all present that Bamburgh is a very special place and the vista of the Castle from all directions must be protected.

PJ also stated that the main road through Bamburgh was an emergency route when the A1 was closed and that large agricultural vehicles had to be accommodated. Expectations had to be managed and there must be a sequence of events. The first step was to measure the speed of vehicles. A speed survey was carried out in 2017 which concluded that speeding was not an issue with the average speed being well below 30 mph. As a result of this survey, the speed camera van would not be used in Bamburgh. He acknowledged this was before the recently introduced double yellow lines. All double lines must be in place for at least 1 year to cover all 4 seasons.

In response to a question about using more visible speed signs such as those on the entrance to Beadnell and Seahouses, it was stated that these would only be deployed in the event of a fatal accident. The ANOB would not be in favour of the proliferation of such signs.

Pay and display in the main car park would be introduced in August after which there would be more traffic warden visits.

BB raised parking issues in the Wynding.

GRT stated that Traders in the village had complained to him that fewer parking spaces around the Grove had affected business. There was a requirement for a second car park.

IR responded that for the AONB to support the requirement for a permanent car park the following were necessary: Community support, no impact on the beauty of the area and that parking was a major issue all year round.

BB asked PJ to summarise the way forward which is:

  • 1.A new speed survey will take place at 5 points along the main road within 2 months.
  • 2.A pedestrian verses vehicle (PvsV) survey will take place to test the need for a crossing.
  • 3.The rumble strips will be replaced once an alternative suitable material has been found.
  • 4.The village should support a Community Speed Watch. GRT has 3 candidates to date.

Following the survey, if speeding is confirmed to be a serious issue, DF confirmed AONB and NCC would work together to find a solution.

BB stated the PC and residents of Bamburgh were most disappointed that the ANOB when asked to attend a PC meeting to discuss speeding and car parking issues, they declined.

BB thanked everyone for their input and attendance and closed the meeting. 

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