Disley Car Park Petition

More Information

What is the parking charge, and how does it work?

**Updated 23rd January with final details from the pub management**
The car park charges will begin on the 28th January and are confirmed as: 20p for up to 1 hour, £2.00 for up to 3 hours, £5.00 for the whole day. Charges will be incurred Monday-Friday between the times of 9.00am-6pm.
If you are using the car park up to 1 hour you will not receive a refund. If you are using the car park for up to 3 hours you will get a full refund when spending a minimum of £2.00 at the Pub. If you are using the car park for the whole day you will not receive a refund.

Who does this affect, and how?

As well as people wishing to visit the pub itself, this decision directly affects many local people who have traditionally used the car park, as well as many more who have to deal with increased congestion in the middle of Disley. With the only other parking in the centre of Disley being the woefully inadequate station car park, shoppers and rail users alike have come to rely on this facility.
Local shop-keepers may be the worst affected of all, as people chose to take their custom to other towns and villages in the area, where parking remains free of charge.

As can already be seen by the empty car park before the machines have even been switched on, practically nobody is going to pay the £5, especially not rail-users, as rail fares are high enough without adding on another £1,000 per year just to park. Instead there is now a mad rush to grab any free spaces in the small station car park, and, for those who cannot find one, parking on the residential streets of Disley becomes the only option. It goes without saying that this not only causes inconvenience, but is potentially a dangerous situation, especially in the mornings and evenings, when many school children catch buses from directly outside the Ram's Head

Why are these charges being introduced?

According to the Ram's Head's Facebook page, the charges are being introduced because of "excessive use of our car park which has had an impact on our guests". However, it is abundantly clear that during the day on weekdays, the Ram's Head does not have a problem with customers not being able to park in their vast car park.
It is understandable that the pub would wish to ensure that a reasonable number of spaces are always available for their guests and staff, but this would only require controls to be in place on the 35 or so spaces nearest to the pub.

The only goal that can be achieved via the current measures is a mean-spirited attempt to ensure that nobody uses the car park and it remains empty all day, while the surrounding streets are packed with parked cars. For a pub which advertises itself as an integral part of the local community, this is an incredibly anti-social move.

What alternative solutions are there?

The fair-mined and responsible thing to do would be for the Ram's Head to talk to Network Rail / Northern, and representatives of local business et. about arrangements for rail users to park in the lower section of the car-park. The sensible lay-out for the area would be for the lower half of the car park to be for station use, as the 35 or so spaces in the top half are more than enough for a pub of this size. Clearly, historical quirks of ownership have left the pub with around 70 spaces and the station only around 40, but there is no reason that some accommodation could not be arrived at.

Realistically, even if the management were willing to work with the rail companies on this, it is unlikely anything would be sorted out very quickly. So in the short-to-medium term, it would make sense to only introduce the charges for the "top" half of the car park, nearest to the pub itself, or failing that, scrap the whole scheme.

What can we do to influence the decision?

Other than signing our online petition and liking our Facebook page, sadly the only thing that will get the attention of the pub's management team is a drop in their revenue. To that end, we suggest making it clear to them that you will no longer be frequenting their establishment while the parking charges persist.

Even if you only eat there a few times a year, with a meal for four with drinks costing upwards of £100, this soon adds up. If we can get just 50 or so people signed up, all of whom will be depriving the pub of, say £500 of income over a year, then the parking charge soon begins to look like a bad move for their bottom line.

I don't live in Disley, is this any of my business?

Yes. Put simply, anybody who is affected by this has every right to their say on it. Whether using the pub or the villages other facilities, it is people not just from Disley, but from many neighbouring communities who will be directly affected by the parking restrictions.
The idea that Disley can exist as a community in isolation, and "outsiders" can keep their views to themselves is outdated and unrealistic.

It is especially pertinent to note that the Ram's Head, more than any other pub in the village, is targeted at a wide catchment area, offering a superior dining experience for customers from all along the Goyt Valley, from Hazel Grove to Chapel-en-le-Frith to Hayfield.