Halstead Rosemary Lane barrier plans are deferred by council

Halstead Town Council is looking to install barriers at Rosemary Lane car park after residents claimed they "haven’t had a decent night’s sleep for months”.

The small car park is currently permit-only and owned by the council, with permits valid from 8am to 6pm on weekdays.

It backs onto Butler Road car park.

However, there have been reports of anti-social behaviour and car meets in the area after 6pm.

The town council has spoken to the manager of nearby flats and residents, and had plenty of complaints of anti-social behaviour.

It received reports from the manager of the flats explaining how “young men drive cars into the car park, creating a lot of noise and leaving rubbish”, which meant “none of the residents have been able to get a decent night’s sleep for months”.

It continued: “The police have been out and examined the situation and stated that it is the responsibility of the owners of the car park to ensure that it is secure.”

The proposal is to put metal fencing either side of the entrance, with a barrier in the centre, which can be locked in the open or closed position.

This would require the first permit holder to arrive each day to open the barrier, and the last to leave to close it.

It would also mean no members of the public could park there overnight.

The issue was discussed at the town council meeting on Monday.

Councillor Jackie Pell said: “It is not being fair to others. The noise is horrendous - residents can’t sleep.”

Councillor Andy Munday said he was “not convinced” barriers would solve the issue, saying “it might stop cars, but not people”.

Councillor Malcolm Fincken voiced concerns over the preventing the public from using it after 6pm.

The prospect of installing CCTV was also discussed, to use for possible prosecutions if damage was caused.

It was unanimously agreed to defer the proposal until after the May elections to get more information on the problems and come up with a solution.