Number plate cameras could be installed at New Forest pub

The Swan Inn at Swan Green, Emery Down. Photo: Google Maps
The Swan Inn at Swan Green, Emery Down. Photo: Google Maps
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Number plate cameras could be installed at a pub car park after the owners said spaces were being abused by people not using the venue.

The Swan Inn at Swan Green, Emery Down, has applied to the New Forest National Park Authority for permission to introduce an automatic number plate recognition system, cameras and new signs.

The plans, submitted on August 24, are intended to tackle what the applicant  – Jaden Taylor from ParkingEye – describes as “car park abuse” and ensure parking spaces are available for genuine visitors to the Grade II-listed pub.

Documents lodged with the national park authority said the existing car park has 50 spaces, including disabled bays.

ParkingEye is proposing to install cameras to record vehicles entering and leaving the car park, alongside a camera cabinet, cabling, sign poles and terms-and-conditions signs.

The submitted design and access statement said the car park is currently unmanaged by a “sophisticated system”.

It states: “This leaves the car park open to misuse and can often mean that spaces are not available for people using the site and therefore the amenities that this building provides.”

The proposal is designed to make the car park “used more effectively” and reduce the number of spaces taken by non-users, according to the documents.

The application does not propose changes to the entrance or exit arrangements. It said access would remain via the existing road, while the additional traffic created by the installation would be limited to workers travelling to and from the site.

According to the heritage statement included in the plans, the Grade II listed watering hole dates from the 18th century.

The applicant said the equipment would be “installed sensitively” to limit its effect on the building and the surrounding area.

Planning documents state that signs would be attached to existing boundary fencing where possible, while most of the equipment would be mounted on new columns.

It adds that the system would have “minimal impact on the local landscape” because it would be fitted within an existing car park and “no landscape features would be removed.”

No decision date has yet been set by the New Forest National Park Authority.

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