New car park could be built in Almondsbury

Civic leaders discussed the lack of parking provision in the village at a meeting of Almondsbury Parish Council on Tuesday evening.

The move comes after S A Brains Brewery, owners of the Bowl Inn, introduced a pay and display scheme in the pub’s car park.

The pay and display caused outrage among villagers, especially parents of pupils at Almondsbury Primary School who use the car park for the school run.

Anyone who parks at the Bowl Inn must pay £1. The money is refunded if the motorist visits the pub.

Cllr Sheila Cook, chairman of Almondsbury Parish Council, said: "It is not just the parents who are frustrated with the situation. Others living in the village who want to access the many amenities in it are now saying there is nowhere to park because of the brewery’s action against the parents."

Cllr Diane Wilson, from Almondsbury Parish Council, said: "In Almondsbury there is a church and whenever it has a funeral or a wedding if you can’t park in the village where are you going to park?

"If we cannot provide people will look twice and go elsewhere. The village is being ruined."

Cllr Cook told the meeting that she was aware of a developer who is looking to build on land in Lower Almondsbury between the school and Townsend Lane.

The developer, whose identity has not been revealed, apparently wants to build housing, a shop and possibly a car park.

At the meeting councillors also discussed whether the parish council owned any land in the village that could be considered for parking.

In the meantime Cllr Cook said she was in discussions with S A Brains Brewery about whether villagers could have 30 minutes free parking at the Bowl Inn during the day.

"This would allow parents to drop off their children and then nip in the shop or the surgery if they need to.

"This would also allow greater use by the wider Almondsbury community," she said.

No one from S A Brains Brewery was available for comment.