Councillors have said that plans to introduce additional no-parking measures would not be the solution for traffic problems.
Plans to ban parking on the majority of Knight Street in Pinchbeck were turned down due to fears it would strangle local businesses, writes Local Democracy Reporter Jamie Waller.
Buses, tractors and lorries frequently have to mount the pavement to get around parked cars, councillors were told.
However, Lincolnshire County Council’s planning committee feared that adding more restrictions would just move problems to the next road.
Reform Councillor Tom Sneath said: “Knight Street has always been a challenge with parked cars and there are times when it’s hard to get through.
“But new double yellow lines introduced in 2023 have forced parents dropping off at school to park there.
“If we add new restrictions, it will just push [parked cars] to Bear Lane and Church Street instead – then we’ll have to come back in a few years and add more.
“It would also remove all visitors to local businesses on Knight Street.
“A blanket ‘let’s stop everyone parking’ approach won’t help Pinchbeck – we don’t want the village to suffer because people can’t park anywhere.”
A small number of residents without off-street parking would be unable to leave vehicles outside their homes.
Seven residents objected to the plans – although they agreed something needed to change – with three in support.
There were fears that locals would have nowhere to park and visit shops or the pharmacy, with only a handful of spaces available.
Conservative Councillor Gary Taylor agreed, saying: “We don’t want to make life a misery for people who live there. A busy road breathes life into a shopping area.
“We don’t want to kill businesses, but equally we don’t want to make it dangerous. Unintended consequences could make it worse.”
Reform Councillor Manzur Hasan, who was in favour of the proposal, said: “There are serious visibility issues for larger vehicles,” and he hoped restrictions would “reduce the risk of gridlock”.
The planning committee voted to reject the plans in the hopes of a more ‘comprehensive’ solution for the village’s parking problems.
