Time to act as Starbeck’s parking crisis deepens

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Andrew Hart is a postmaster who owns Starbeck Red Box. He also runs the Facebook group Starbeck Community Group and takes a keen interest in all issues relating to Starbeck.

Starbeck’s High Street has enjoyed a remarkable revival since covid, with nine new businesses opening and the 19th century, former Harper’s building now being restored into a major retail unit with nine apartments above.

The village has bucked the national trend of declining high streets. But success has brought a growing problem — residents say parking in Starbeck has reached breaking point.

Local streets are increasingly congested as customers, staff, delivery drivers, businesses and multivehicle households compete for limited space.

The rise in commuters parking near Starbeck Railway Station has added further pressure, with many leaving their cars all day on the High Street before catching trains to work.

Classes, church hall therapy sessions and school expansion have made matters worse. Once Harper’s is completed in autumn, we will have up to 18 new High Street residents plus one large commercial unit servicing possibly hundreds of people daily.

Residents also report the constant flow of couriers, Uber Eats and Deliveroo riders, who often have to stop wherever they can, is adding to the congestion.

Time for action

Starbeck Community Group and residents’ voices are now calling for North Yorkshire Council and Network Rail to take action.

They say that without coordinated intervention, such as dedicated station parking, resident-only zones, and new off-street parking areas, the situation will continue to deteriorate as Starbeck’s popularity increases. Its success could actually kill it.

Network Rail and North Yorkshire Council have sold off or built on available land against residents’ wishes and this has exacerbated the situation.

Whilst we welcome the extension to Springwater School and planning being granted for new businesses, absolutely no provision has been made for parking. No one, beyond residents and businesses, want to talk about parking.

Surely Network Rail and North Yorkshire Council want more people to park and use the trains? Surely the town and unitary councils want to attract investment and encourage additional retailers?

Some streets have become “impossible” for residents to park on during the day, and frustration has grown as North Yorkshire Council traffic officers have begun issuing parking tickets like never before. It feels like they are profiteering from a serious problem that they helped to create. 

Residents angry

Locals argue that enforcement is being prioritised over solutions. Residents of such streets as Stonefall Avenue, Albert Place and The Avenue, to name but a few, have an impossible task to park near their homes. It is upsetting residents and this is now turning to anger.

I know from Starbeck Post Office and The Red Box that our Royal Mail collections and the many couriers are finding it more and more difficult to pull up, even for a few minutes. Such vehicles are forced to stop illegally, or we would grind to a halt.

In recent weeks we have heard many more customers and residents complaining about the lack of parking. I have to add here that bad parking does not help.

We have worked so hard to attract real investment into what had become a declining High Street. We have a £1million-plus High Street investment going on right now so come on North Yorkshire Council, talk to us and give us some more parking spaces.

Then look at residential disc and limited time disc parking. We do not expect this for free. We have ideas to share to find a cost-effective solution. Please do not kill our High Street.

Starbeck Community Group and the residents are urging people to contact their councillors to demand an urgent long-term parking strategy for the village.

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