York | Archive | 1999 | March | 12
From the Evening Press, first published Friday 12th Mar 1999.
Monks Cross retail centre has come under fire from despairing campaigners, who say it fails disabled shoppers.
Parking facilities at the complex have been criticised by shoppers who use a wheelchair or have walking difficulties. They say spaces for disabled drivers are too far from the shops, while able-bodied motorists can park virtually next to them.
And they expressed disappointment that a pledge by the management last September to try to create more disabled parking bays nearer the shopping outlets had come to nothing.
Now, the problem looks set to come before the City of York Council's committee on disabled issues next month.
Lilian Parkinson, co-ordinator of the Disability Rights and Resources Centre said: "We do despair. In a place like York, with its old buildings and monuments, you have to accept much limitation.
"But when something new happens you just expect that none of these problems will arise because you think everybody will be aware of the issues.
"When these kind of glaring mistakes get thrown up you realise how ill-informed the planning process is. Repeatedly they get it wrong.
"They are still not getting to grips with the fact that disabled people have money to spend, too, and if they can't spend it in York, they will go elsewhere."
Shopping centre manager Katherine Hague said: "We did look at it but the problem with putting disabled bays nearer the shops is that people would then have to step out directly into the road. We just can't do that because it is too dangerous."
She said they had consulted planners, developers and architects about the possibility of more disabled parking bays, but had been advised against it. "There is nothing really more we can do," she said. "We have really tried."
She added that the centre was hoping to increase the number of rest seats and introduce free wheelchair hire.
But disabled mother-of-two Denise Smith, of Crossways, Badger Hill, York, said: "I'm very disappointed because I have been waiting for them to put more spaces in.
"I don't see why they couldn't remove a couple of flower beds near the shops, because then there would be space for me to get out of my car directly on to the pedestrians' path without getting in the way of shoppers."
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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