The owners of the Rye market have permanently closed the access gate leading to the veterinary practice and the rear of Rye Baptist church. A notice from the vets on the gate reads “Due to circumstances beyond our control we no longer have use of this access. Please use the access from Cinque Ports Street. We apologise to clients for any inconvenience caused.”
It is understood by Rye News that the access to the rear of the Cinque Ports pub will be similarly closed later this year in October, when the current licence expires.
Because of the very narrow turning off Cinque Ports Street down a restricted width passage, the closure to the vet’s premises will cause considerable inconvenience both to customers and suppliers. Many pet owner car-drivers are worried about negotiating this turning and visibility on exit is hazardous requiring utmost caution.
There is a problem too for wide-bodied vehicles attempting delivery, particularly for supplies of liquid gas. An Air Products lorry obstructed Cinque Ports Street for some time last week in trying to gain access.
The reason for the closure actions has not been publicly stated, but it maybe that it is because of some drivers abusing the hospitality of the market car-park by evading payment. One person associated with an affected business, who does not wish to be named, commented that the closure is to be regretted, but it had become necessary in today’s age where the behaviour of a few spoils the convenience of the many.
Image Credits: Rye News library .
It can only make moving traffic through Rye even more difficult if users of the vet have to make the turn from Cinque Port Street. However, they can park in the Cattle Market and pay their two pounds.
The gas bottles can be delivered from the car park too. Just takes a little common sense. Alternatively the Vet and the Pub can pay up!
The car park is sometimes full so trying to drive round and find a parking space if one has a sick or injured animal is not realistic hence the entrance from the market is used to access the veterinary surgery parking. It doesn’t seem to me to be about people not paying but that the owners for some reason don’t want people driving across their property. The access to Cinque Ports Street is just an accident (or several) waiting to happen!
The vets and the pub have always (for many years) paid a yearly renewable rental fee for the access. It has been a long standing agreement between the brewery, the vets and the market shareholders. No blame should be aimed at any of these parties. Circumstances have changed and that is all. As things stand, nothing can be delivered from the Market car park, gas bottles included!
Totally ridiculous and selfish.
The entrance and particularly the exit from the vets is now beyond hazardous. It is only narrow single track.
I am in no doubt there will be accidents soon at the top of the hill exit.
Pedestrians,particularly tourists wander across the junction unaware of traffic trying to exit.
Not least the impossible visibility for the driver attempting exit.
It is not about the money or cost….. purely a safety and convenience issue.
I’ve stopped using the vets in Cinque Ports Street because of the difficult access now. I now use the vets in Northiam where the parking is so much easier.
Seems odd that no one has mentioned the church access which I believe was via the vets. Blame seems to be being laid at the pub and vet for “not paying up”. The recent post explaining why the closures have happened seem to indicate that it is a financial issue as they want to fit more spaces in the car park and no doubt there was a financial cost with the licence for access.
I wouldn’t have thought that blocking 1 gate would have made much difference to that! Whilst I appreciate that the car park is cheap in comparison with others and good value, it’s not so long ago that it was 50p all day – there would soon be uproar if other car parks increased their charges by 300%