New £3m Development

Ground is being cleared at the southern end of Great Yarmouth's Beach Couch Station for a new £3 million housing development. The Jubilee Court development will comprise the construction of three blocks of three storey buildings containing one bedroom flats for council tenants.

Whilst the development is not in the area used for coach and lorry parking per se, there are plans being considered for the use of the whole of the Coach Station site for housing.

Whilst the site is not intensively used through out the year, there is a need to provide a location close to the holiday area to accommodate long stay coaches - during off peak season too. The coach industry is still recovering from the COVID pandemic and its is encouraging to see some recent growth in this sector. If this is to continue there needs to be some recognition of this issue.

The closure to traffic of the St Nicholas Road/ Nelson Road Central junction has already led to confusion among operators with at least one coach not being able to find its way to the coach station. The driver had to call the police as he couldn't negotiate a way out of his predicament. There doesn't appear to be adequate signage for coach drivers trying to find the coach station. When out with my camera, I have had at least one driver approach me to say he had difficulty finding parking in the town whilst this construction work is under way.

Those involved in the planning process need to be aware that there has to be adequate and convenient parking for coaches or the operators will take their coaches and their money spending passengers elsewhere.

Roy