Community Car Park
The idea and need to create a community car park in Norton in Hales was recorded in Minutes from a Parish Council Meeting held on 6th July 2010 following an incident by the School. This was discussed again at the follow up Meeting on 7th September 2010. The project was later identified in Shropshire Council's Place Plan as future project for the Parish Council.
Norton in Hales Parish Council is delighted that, in conjunction with the Hinds Head Pub (which has generously granted a 99 year lease for the use of the land along with a substantial financial donation) and with the support of the School, Church, Village Hall and all of the other parish groups, a CiL Local Award from Shropshire Council and Neighbourhood Fund money, this project will shortly be delivered. We all eagerly await the official opening of the car park by the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire on Thursday 28th April at midday, to which everyone will be welcome. The Hinds Head will be open for this very special event.
Entry from the Bradlingstone Magazine June 2021:
' We are delighted to announce that the Parish Council and the Hinds Head Pub have recently signed an agreement to provide the Norton-in-Hales Parish with a community car park.
A sizable piece of the field behind the bus shelter will be used to develop a landscaped community car park with 36 parking spaces.
The Hinds Head Pub shareholders purchased this land some years ago with the vision and intention of it being a shared community resource that could be used by the school, church, pub, playing fields overflow, any other village activities like the annual fete and for visitors to the village. It is hoped the new community car-park will make visiting the village safer and alleviate current parking issues along Main Road, which at times can be difficult for the residents living there and also for those trying to navigate it. Hopefully it will also be less stressful, and much safer, for parents to load and unload children at school times within the confines of a dedicated off road car-park.
Under the agreement our new car-park will be managed, controlled and run by the Parish Council as a facility for the benefit of the entire community. As well as using Neighbourhood Fund money received from the Community Infrastructure Levy following housing developments in the Parish, a CIL Local Fund Award of £25,000 has been secured from Shropshire County Council to help pay for the construction costs. The Hinds Head Pub are making a donation of £15,000 towards the construction costs in addition to providing the land on a peppercorn lease for 99 years. The car-park will be free of charge for all users to park and it will have the added benefit of some electric car charging points. We may well be the first village in Shropshire to have such a facility as we all get ready for the change to electric vehicles! The car park will be landscaped with the help and assistance of the wonderful In Bloom Group, so will look amazing like the rest of the village. We are also making provision to improve the drainage in the centre of the village, which should help to take excess water away from Main Road and mitigate the risk of future flooding in the village. Planning permission for the project was granted on 1st July 2019 and it is envisaged that development will commence in July 2021. '
Since that announcement work has been continuing on the development of the community car park.
Attached are some photos of the field pre construction works, construction works ongoing and of the landscaping being undertaken by a fabulous group of volunteers on 17th March 2022.
Further details about the community car park project can be found in the Minutes of the Parish Council which are all available to view on this website.
19/01678/FUL | Change of use of land and formation of community car park; landscaping scheme and boundary treatment | Land Off Main Road Norton In Hales Shropshire
21/05363/DIS | Discharge of condition 5 (engineering details), 6 (archaeological watching brief) and 7 (external lighting) relating to Planning Permission 19/01678/FUL | Land Off Main Road Norton In Hales Shropshire