PARKING restrictions are being imposed on a Keighley town centre street despite objections from nearby businesses.

Bradford councillors this month approved the controversial plans for Greengate Road, which links Worth Way and South Street.

The aim is to stop indiscriminate parking by drivers that causes sightline, congestion and access problems for lorries visiting industrial units on Greengate Road.

The row first blew up in 2015 after the council’s Keighley Area Committee approved cash for double yellow lines on parts of the road.

Other businesses, including NRGym at the junction with Worth Way, claimed such measures would badly affect their own customers.

Officers held meetings with the businesses to identify the exact lengths of Greengate Road where the problems occurred.

They then drew up detailed blueprints for waiting restrictions, which were presented to the area committee this month. (March)

Committee members approved a mix of double and single yellow lines at more than a dozen points along Greengate Road.

At the meeting they agreed to limit most of the restrictions to weekdays during the day, instead of including Saturdays.

A tenant of a mill on Greengate Road, claiming to represent several neighbouring businesses, put forward a counter proposal with a different set of waiting restrictions.

The company also carried out feasibility studies, and physically blocked one side of the road for a day to assess whether it caused access problems.

They claimed: “Between 9am and 5pm we found access was not impeded at all for the trucks. They passed easily with no obstructions and were able to access and exit the units.

“In the light of the findings and our ‘experiment’, the council’s proposed Traffic Regulation Order has proven to be much too severe.”

Council highways officers rejected most of the company’s suggestions, claiming they would still hinder block access to some buildings.

The other three objections were from business owners on Sunderland Street, which runs parallel with Greengate Road.

One said: “This proposal will merely transfer the current issues from Greengate Road on to Sunderland Street.

“This could cause hardship to the residential parking facility on Sunderland Street, as well as the businesses.”

Another objector said Sunderland Street was already overcrowded, due to the number of businesses nearby, and accused the council of ‘inviting’ more cars to park, blocking access and causing danger.

Council officers responded that if ‘parking migration’ did occur, then similar restrictions could be considered for Sunderland Street.