By Caroline Ivison

Last updated at 12:47, Thursday, 25 October 2012

A decision on the location of a new night time taxi rank in Workington has been deferred for a site visit.

However, a controversial plan to site a rank in the new Washington Square development has been taken off the table.

Allerdale council’s licensing panel met to discuss the outcome of a public consultation about the relocation of the existing rank in Washington Street.

Gillian Collinson, senior licensing officer, told the meeting that no taxi drivers had responded to the consultation.

The consultation was launched earlier this year after taxi drivers approached Allerdale council and Cumbria police with alternative sites because of reports of problems with the existing Washington Street rank.

These included drivers doing U-turns and parking through the traffic lights and up Ramsay Brow.

The options for consultation were the pedestrianised area of Washington Square, Murray Road, the Jane Street lay-by filtering from Central Square car park and the Marks & Spencer’s car park in Udale Street.

Councillor Tony North said: “It seems very strange that when you try to do something for the taxi trade they don’t bother to reply.”

Inspector Craig Lory said that the rank needed to be moved from Washington Street as it was “an accident waiting to happen”.

He added: “Our preferred option would be Murray Road. It disperses people out of the town centre and only people who want a taxi will go there and I can dedicate a patrol to it.”

The county council’s highways department stated their preferred option as Udale Street and Murray Road as their second option. Allerdale’s town centre manager Toni Meagan agreed with these preferences.

Councillor Ashley Moore said: “Whenever we move this taxi rank I doubt whether the taxi drivers will move with it at night time.

“I think they will stay on Washington Street because that is where their client base is.”

David Bell, of Cumbria Highways, said the council could look into legislation to remove taxi rank status from Washington Street but that it would have to be paid for by Allerdale and as Hackney Carriages they would still be able to stop if hailed by a customer.

Dave Fletcher, Washington Square development manager, said that if people were walking through the development to get to a new rank and any damage was caused to shops he would apply to have shutters put on the shop windows which would turn the town centre into “Beirut”.

One resident of Udale Street told the meeting that she felt it was unfair that she and her neighbours would have to put up with people shouting and arguing and leaving a mess around their houses if a taxi rank was placed there.

First published at 12:11, Thursday, 25 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk