TrustNews Jun 21

Reducing car parking in the Cathedral Closes

Traditionally no parking was allowed in the Outer Close of the Cathedral but this changed when the Cathedral embarked on the major restoration and exhibition project in 2014. A reduction in parking spaces for volunteers in the Inner Close was replaced by parking along the northern boundary of the Outer Close. Although the work was largely finished by 2018, the Outer Close parking continued. The Trust repeatedly objected to this in various ways, at meetings and in writing, as it detracts from the character of the Outer Close and the setting of the Cathedral.

In May, Alison Evans, the Cathedral's new chief operating officer, informed all volunteers that the Cathedral is proposing to make changes to parking arrangements at the Cathedral as part of a wider plan for a Greener Cathedral. As a first step, parking is no longer allowed in the Outer Close which is very good news. In the longer term, parking in the Inner Close will be reduced and more strictly controlled; the Covid pandemic has revealed the extent to which too many cars have damaged its tranquillity. A plan will be prepared and consulted on, covering The Pilgrims‘ School and Wolvesey as well as the Cathedral. Stricter monitoring will soon be introduced for cars parking in the inner Close.

John Beveridge