A ROW is likely to develop if a part of a village green is assigned as a dedicated car parking space, a parish councillors claim.
Proposals to covert Cockfield’s Kings Head pub into a home includes using the space in front for parking for future residents.
However, parish councillors claim that while the space is covered with Tarmac, the land forms part of the village green and not part of the property.
In its planning application for the conversion, the owners FB Taverns, noted that the existing public house has parking immediately in front of it.
The company said: “The existing vehicular access and off-street parking arrangements serving the building would not change as a result of the proposed development.
“This will continue to be used for inhabitants of the proposed dwelling, thereby ensuring that there is no parking pressure on the surrounding road network.”
In its response to Durham County Council, Cockfield Parish Council noted: “In Cockfield, as in many other places, parking is a severe problem, which not infrequently leads to arguments, and unless the status of this piece of land is made absolutely clear it seems very likely to lead to ill-feeling, both on the part of the purchasers, who may find cars parked up against their windows, and those who perceive that new residents are being given special rights which are denied to others.”
The issue was again raised at the council’s latest meeting.
Cllr Neville Singleton said: “We don’t mind them parking there, but they can’t have a dedicated parking space. Everyone in Cockfield can have one in that case.
“There has been a lot of protest. People are up in arms about it.”
