BRIDPORT Town Council will withdraw proposals to turn part of a nature reserve into a temporary car park following opposition to the plans.

The town council had submitted plans to West Dorset District Council to use the showfield site at Asker Meadows as a temporary car park for up to 100 cars on busy Saturdays during the summer – as well as siting a temporary classroom.

The decision to withdraw the plans following “a lot of concern and opposition” will be discussed by the council’s finance and general purposes committee next week.

Leader of the town council, Cllr Sarah Williams, said: “The town council had always said that it would review this application after the closing date for consultation.

“It is clear that there is a lot of concern and opposition to the application and particularly use as a temporary car park. There is also a need for more work to address the comments from the statutory agencies.

"The town clerk will therefore bring a report to members recommending that the application is withdrawn. This recommendation will be reported to the finance and general purposes committee on June 15.”

Cllr Williams said the town council had submitted to plans to gauge public opinion, but campaigners from the Friends of Asker Meadows, launched a petition – opposing the plans.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

The Friends of Asker Meadows

Cllr Williams added: “Asker Meadows is an important asset for the town council and the work undertaken over recent years with the county council has greatly increased the access to and use of the fields, as well as protecting the sensitive wildlife areas.

“The town council agreed to submit this application to try to address the particular problem of parking on specific busy days in the summer. There would have no permanent change to the surfacing or damage to the sensitive areas. We submitted the planning application to give everyone the opportunity to comment and I very much hope that the new Friends of Asker Meadows Group will now wish to work with the town council and the existing Asker Nature Reserve Project group on the future management of this key site.”

Cllr Williams added that the council is still committed to improving parking in the town, which was the purpose of the Asker Meadows application.

She said: “There still remains the wider issue regarding the need for additional parking in Bridport.

“The town council has been looking at how it could help to alleviate the situation, which was the reason for this application being submitted. It is currently working on a Dorset wide application to the Coastal Community Fund to support access to the coast, which will include support for improvements to car parks.

“The town council is also supporting a project looking at community bus options and improving public transport provision. This work will continue and we would welcome any suggestions or ideas that people may have to address car parking issues in the town.”