Prestbury Parish Council welcomes all efforts by councillors and prospective councillors to safeguard the future of Idsall Drive car park. We are, however, disappointed to note a leaflet recently distributed ahead of the upcoming Prestbury by-election for Cheltenham Borough Council on October 12th, in which it is stated that:
“Following the refusal by Prestbury Parish Council to purchase the car park as an Asset of Community Value for the village, (at a large discount), the future of the car park now lies with the [Cheltenham Borough Council] Cabinet”.
We wish to reaffirm our long held position that the disposal of the car park is entirely a budgetary decision by Cheltenham Borough Council, and always has been. They have stated that the car park is an expense that they can no longer afford to maintain.
After extensive debate, the Parish Council concluded in 2022 that it was unable to afford the proposed purchase price and ongoing maintenance costs within its fairly limited annual budget, as to do so would severely limit all spending on every other project we have scheduled elsewhere in the Parish.
Prestbury Parish Council’s view is that the Idsall Drive car park should be retained as an asset for the village, and strongly refute any suggestion that the Parish Council should be blamed for the car park’s sale and subsequent loss, should this prove to be the eventual outcome.
