‘It’s killing us’ say locals after ‘bonkers’ council lined high street with 3ft planters making it ‘impossible’ to park
FURIOUS locals have blasted their "bonkers" council after they lined the high street with 3ft planters making it "impossible" to park.
Disgruntled residents in Otley, Leeds, have blamed the planters for causing a "nightmare" situation with business owners claiming it is killing their trade.
Leeds City Council put the planters in place for a one way system during the pandemic.
The troublesome planters were introduced as a social distancing measure but have remained in place ever since.
Years on, the changes are still causing problems for locals with parking spaces drastically reduced.
Some claim that the planters have caused damage to their cars because they narrowed the already tight road even further.
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While shopkeepers have raised concerns for disabled and elderly residents who struggle to access the shops because they cannot park outside.
Leeds City Council say the unsightly boxes are "aesthetically pleasing" but residents disagree and claim the high street is "dying" as a result.
Steve Nelson, owner of The 20p Shop on the high street, believes that the planters are going to "kill off" trade on the high street.
Steve, who runs said: "The planters stop people coming into the shops.
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"People who are disabled or old can't park by the shops because of the planters.
"When people are donating stuff to my shop, or the charity shops along here, they have to park across the street and run back and forth with the donations.
"It's okay if you're like 20 years old not 75, it's a nightmare.
"Otley used to be a vibrant market town with stalls all around – it's dying and that is a very large part due to the council's inability to assist the traders here."
Steve isn’t the only person who has been left frustrated by the planters with shop assistant Sue McKie blasting the scheme as "bonkers".
The 56-year-old added: "We don't need them and everyone hates them – it makes dropping stuff off and picking stuff up extra tricky.
"They simply make no sense, just being here. The pandemic ended two years ago, but we have these things now as a legacy to try and kill off the very businesses that survived."
Melissa Widdowson, manager of the neighbouring charity shop, Cancer Research UK, said that the lack of parking was putting off visitors from coming to the town.
Former mayor of the town, Nigel Francis, said it makes no sense to have rows of planters with double yellow lines inside.
He said: "They [the council] seem to have a fixation for making the town traffic free, but that makes it almost customer free for some of the shops – there is no appreciation of what they are doing to a once thriving market town.
"Things like this on a main street in a busy town, just doesn't help the traders at all."
Residents had previously complained about the planters and said that they cause issues when it comes to bins being emptied and it also affects deliveries.
Not only do they affect traders, but locals claim they also affect deliveries and customers who might have to bring things such as washing machines into shops for repair.
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Speaking in March last year, a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said the planters were first put in as a more "aesthetically pleasing" alternative to social distancing restrictions.
Leeds City Council have been contacted for comment.
