Dear Residents,

Please find below a statement on behalf of the Parish Council in relation to Rye Harbour Car Park.

Following the closure of the car park in the Spring of last year it was noted that large numbers of the public were still visiting the area and as the car park was closed they were choosing to park on the public roads. In some cases, these parked vehicles were causing obstructions which presented a risk to the public and the possibility that emergency vehicles may have been unable to access homes and businesses.  In addition, they were taking up on-highway parking normally used by residents and delivery vehicles.  It was therefore decided by the Council that the safer course of action was to reopen the car park to ensure that cars could park safely off of the public highway. This decision was made very much with consideration for local residents in mind. Unfortunately, the Council have no control over the number of people visiting the area and it was demonstrated that closing the car park did not deter people from doing so.

We are constantly reviewing guidance from the Government who have stated under current restrictions that car parks can remain open to allow the public access to outside exercise. It is unavoidable that certain areas will see more visitors than others but again this is not something that as a Parish Council we can control. Rye Harbour is not alone in experiencing high levels of visitors during the current lockdown or indeed throughout the pandemic to date.

Each time the Government provides updates on any restrictions we respond accordingly however at the current time it is deemed safer for the car park to be open and this is the guidance that the Council are following.

Members of the public  are able to report any concerns they have regarding potential breaches of the current restrictions by other members of the public via the link below should they wish to do so.  We would advise however that the Police are understandably limited in the level of resourcing they can provide for this purpose.  It should also be noted that the Police are trying to interpret guidelines that lack clarity and are therefore open to different interpretations.

Breach of coronavirus (Covid-19) measures | Police.uk (www.police.uk)