Mayor reassures residents over issues caused by visitors to beauty spot
A town’s mayor has offered reassurance to residents over issues caused by visitors to a local beauty spot last year.
Church Stretton Town Council published its annual report online last week, with a section reflecting on coronavirus infection and parking concerns caused last year by large numbers of visitors to local National Trust site, Carding Mill Valley.
Mayor Bob Welch said: “With the easing of the first lockdown, the town experienced a surge of visitors from across the country, Carding Mill Valley being one of the national beauty spots proving most popular.
“The council liaised closely with the National Trust, the police and Shropshire Council in seeking to minimise the threat of cross-infection to this community.”
Limited available parking at the beauty spot during last year’s May bank holiday weekend led residential streets around Church Stretton to be inundated with visitors’ cars.
Vehicles were parked on double yellow lines, blocking pavements, side roads and driveways, as visitors chose to park in the town once available parking at the site itself was full.
The mayor stated how a measure later installed to support parking at Carding Mill Valley would continue in anticipation of high numbers of visitors this year.
“The council part-funded a trial shuttle service to link with an overflow car park,” he said. “This will continue this year, taking into account the continuing increase in stay-cationing.”
Councillor Welch also took the opportunity to highlight how groups, authorities and organisations had worked together during the pandemic.
“The community rallied round magnificently with many younger residents volunteering to undertake deliveries of food and medicines,” he said.
