Residents will be allowed to park on the pavement along a section of one of the main routes into Leamington town centre

Residents will be allowed to park on the pavement along a section of Leamington’s Radford Road - one of the main routes into the town centre.

The decision was made by Cllr Jeff Clarke, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for transport and planning, in spite of two letters objecting to the plan.

The proposals for the stretch of road either side of the junction with St Marys Road were advertised at the end of November ahead of a three-week window for residents to have their say.

A short report outlining the background to the decision - one of a number made by portfolio holders last week due to the postponement of council meetings - explained: “We have received requests over the past few years to introduce a residents parking scheme along a section of Radford Road and, after extensive informal consultations with the residents, we created the proposals.”

The changes will see a total of 54 metres of pavement parking created but the move has not been supported by all those living locally.

One resident wrote to object that pedestrian facilities were being removed so that private cars could be parked.

The objection added: “Cars often drive along the pavement to reach parking spaces and I have at times had to quickly move out of the way of cars.”

Another letter said that the parking places were contrary to Warwick District Council’s bid to tackle the climate change emergency as they would encourage car use.

But these objections prompted an officer to explain that the parking areas were only being introduced in locations where the pavement was wide enough to allow drivers to manoeuvre their vehicles without compromising pedestrians.

The officer added: “The parking bays were proposed to be located on the carriageway side of the footpath to minimise the risk of cars being driven along the footpath in order to find a space.

“The remaining footpath is of a sufficient width to allow pedestrians and cyclists to navigate the footway without the risk of collisions with vehicles attempting to manoeuvre into the spaces.

“The proposals are for resident permit holders only. The main aim of these bays is not to promote car use but to provide parking that is beneficial for residents along Radford Road. This would reduce competition for available spaces thereby reducing the likelihood of vehicles being driven round trying to find a space.”