by Joe Jeffrey
Locals claim height barriers are affecting local tourism
Hundreds of people in the Portsmouth area have hit back at Portsmouth council’s decision to introduce new height barriers to carparks in the Gosport area, amidst claims the move will affect local tourism within the area.
Gosport Borough Council implemented the height restrictions to deter travellers from pitching up around the seafront at Stokes Bay, but some residents are now saying the height barriers installed will discourage tourists to visit, with one local resident, Alan Rowland, setting up a petition calling for the removal of them.
Rowland said: “There are a lot of people who travel down here from all over the country.
“Stokes Bay is well-known but these barriers will discourage people to come here.
“The barriers affect people with motorhomes, boats on their cars and surfboards on top of their roofs.
“These are people who pay to use the car park, but now they don’t have a choice.”
Another local resident, Deborah Bull, agreed, saying: “It’s wrong to penalise a whole section of the community just because of the chance of the car park being misused by a minority.
“Recreational vehicles should be allowed to park and enjoy a facility their owners have paid for.”
Other people who have signed the petition said it was an act of ‘madness by the council’ and would ’cause problems for the community’.
A representative for Gosport Borough Council has since stated the council is currently looking to provide for a designated area for caravans and motorhomes to park by the beach, but is this too little too late and simply a case of caravanners and motorhomers being overlooked once again? Considering Portsmouth acts as a ferry port to many destinations further afield, and one which many mtoorhomers and caravanners use, this isn’t exactly a smart move.
