IN AUGUST St Martin's College applied for planning consent for a 186-space car park on the campus.

The application has been refused by the planning and highways committee, creating an acute parking problem for local residents.

On several occasions bad parking has meant that emergency vehicles and work vehicles have not been able to proceed.

At junctions like Coulston Road and Wyresdale, or Cork and Wyresdale or off Clougha Avenue, parking is a hazard to traffic and danger to pedestrians.

I support extra parking on the campus as do my fellow John O'Gaunt councillors Eileen Blamire and Gareth Millar, but for the moment on-campus parking will not be expanded.

I want to assure the residents of streets affected that my colleagues and I have over several years met with the college and university officials to tackle traffic problems.

The college, with our support, is making a number of efforts to reduce car travel and increase parking availability. It now has an agreement with the city council to use Williamson Park during term time and is looking at other possibilities to increase parking provision.

Residents of the areas affected will be receiving invitations to a meeting of residents and college officials for the evening of November 11, so put it in your diary!

We will continue to put the interests of the community to the institutions to deal with parking and traffic. I am sure we will make progress.

Cllr Joe Ravetz, John O'Gaunt ward