Old Buckenham Village Hall and car parking

Need to repair car park
Old Buckenham Village Hall Management Committee is inviting people to a meeting at 8pm on Wednesday 23 April in Old Buckenham Village Hall to discuss the impact on the village of the proposed Chapel Road School relocation.
The large volume of traffic through the Village Hall car park has had a detrimental effect on the car park surface and it is really in need of complete refurbishment. Unfortunately, at the moment, Village Hall funds don't stretch to the estimated £20,000 that it will cost for resurfacing work. Therefore it has been decided to do some temporary repairs to improve the worst of the problems. This work will be undertaken at times convenient to hall users and the volunteer work parties undertaking the work. For safety reasons they have decided that the car park should be closed while this work is carried out.
They feel that this action will demonstrate the problems of parking on Old Buckenham roads were it not for the goodwill of the Village Hall and the Old Buckenham Village Hall Management Committee apologise for any disruption that may be caused by this work.
The Old Buckenham Village Hall Car Park is adequate for hall users but is not large enough to sustain the influx of vehicles going to the Primary School and Pre-School. This is mainly in the mornings and afternoons but problems also occur when events are held at the schools during the day and in the evening. Hall users are frequently blocked in the car park and these problems are also affecting the times that hall bookings are made.
When the new Chapel Road School project was revealed, Old Buckenham Parish Council, the Old Buckenham Village Hall Management Committee and other concerned residents were all generally supportive of the scheme but asked if Norfolk County Council could provide parking provision for the Primary School and Pre-School in the development plans. This request does not seem to have been acted upon and it appears that the development will go ahead with parking only for the new Chapel Road school users. This would mean that it is not only the Village Hall that is affected but that the residents of Abbey Road will suffer from the extra traffic and indiscriminate parking as well.
It will be a disappointment if this opportunity to improve conditions in the village are missed. Planning permission for the new school development is expected to go to Norfolk County Council in June so if you have any views on this situation then you can contact your local councillor Stephen Askew (Stephen.askew@breckland.gov.uk  or telephone 07990 531771  or via Twitter @cllrsteveaskew).
You can also email information@norfolk.gov.uk to leave a message for Chris Hey about the Chapel Road School Relocation.
If you prefer why not leave a comment here on the blog.
Whether you are a village hall user or someone who wishes to get their children safely to and from school, make sure you get along to the meeting on Wednesday 23 April and give your views on this subject.