Tory councillor admits parking illegally to have manicure

Twm Owen – Local democracy reporter

A Tory councillor has admitted to parking her car on a pedestrian street to attend a nail salon appointment in a town dubbed the “wild west” of parking.

It was claimed in January drivers have been parking “where and when they want” in Chepstow while Monmouthshire County Council admitted it has struggled to enforce a parking restriction on the High Street.

Councillor Lisa Dymock has now been criticised for parking on St Mary Street which only vehicles making deliveries are entitled to enter.

The councillor said she had parked on St Mary Street to have a nail repaired at a local salon and thought she had only slightly overstayed a time restriction.

Disregard

Business owner Lisset Burrett said she was angered to discover a four by four parked against the window of her ice cream shop, Colin’s, on St Mary Street on Saturday, June 7 belonged to a local councillor.

The ice cream shop boss claimed the councillor had shown a disregard for parking restrictions and businesses on the high street and said: “We must pay for our parking while county councillors with scant regard for the businesses trying to survive here are above the law.”

Cllr Dymock, who represents Portskewett on the outskirts of Chepstow, acknowledged she had parked on St Mary Street.

She said: “I stayed over a little bit longer than I anticipated, that’s all. I was 10 minutes over.”

She said she understood parking is permitted during set times and said: “That street is always packed with cars.”

The Conservative councillor said she had only thought she would be in the nail salon for some 10 or 15 minutes and added: “Lots of people park on St Mary Street, at all different hours.”

Apology

She said she had also apologised, at the ice cream parlour, after being asked to move her car at around 10.45am on Saturday, and also said she supports local businesses.

Vehicles are only allowed on St Mary Street for loading and that is restricted to between 7am and 10.30am, and for two and a half hours in the evening, from 4.30pm to 7pm.

A sign at the entrance to St Mary Street states it is a pedestrian zone and no vehicles are allowed from 10.30am to 4.30pm and from 7pm to 7am.

Loading allows domestic and commercial drivers to load and unload goods or waste but doesn’t permit drivers to park to go shopping or for extended periods.

Ms Burrett has also written to Monmouthshire County Council to ask why bollards previously installed to prevent access aren’t in use.

She said: “I decided to rent a building on this street because it is pedestrianised; I have opened up an ice cream parlour and naturally children are frequent visitors.

“I chose this location due to its safe nature for the children who visit. However cars constantly drive along St Mary Street throughout the day. Cars daily park outside my premises, blocking the view of the shop and at times the entrance.”

‘Lawless’

Cabinet member, and Chepstow Labour councillor, Paul Griffiths has told Ms Burrett he has raised the issue of how the restriction on vehicles could be enforced but said, in an email, the previous “volunteer based movement of bollards proved unsustainable”.

In January Cllr Griffiths compared parking in Chepstow to the ‘wild west’ and said: “Chepstow residents tell me they feel they are living in the sort of lawless conditions you would have found in the American wild west.

“Motorists appear to be parking where they want, how they want without apparent restriction.”