A council leader says he is confident a compromise can be found after a petition to install three short-stay parking bays outside Ashford’s sorting office gained strong public support.

More than 3,000 people signed the petition as residents have long called for a solution to the parking troubles outside the Royal Mail site in Tannery Lane which is currently surrounded by double-yellow lines.

Campaigners are asking for three 15-minute parking bays to allow people enough time to pick up their packages without fear of getting a ticket.

Mother-of-three Stephanie Roberts, who started the petition, presented it to the joint transportation board earlier this month and Ashford Borough Council (ABC) says it is ‘currently considering’ the options.

Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con), deputy leader at ABC, added: “I am confident we can achieve a compromise here, maybe two spaces put in.

“When the double yellows were put in, Tannery Lane was the only road into the Civic Centre and Stour Centre, and Kent Wool Growers (KWG) was operating.

“Now the road is much less used because KWG has closed and there is access to the Stour Centre from Station Approach.

“Lower use means that a couple of parking places could be safely put in.

“I have asked that officers look wider at the town centre parking as the shape of how the town centre is used is changing.

“We now have more eating places and less retail.

“If you take the end of Bank Street towards Elwick Road as an example, a large retail unit has been replaced with three takeaways, so we need to enable residents to stop and collect their food quickly.”

Ashford MP Damian Green has also shown his support for the changes in Tannery Lane, saying: “In practical terms, so many people stop there now anyway so if we can find a way for people to do it safely, we may as well do it.”

While the outcome of talks have not yet been confirmed, Ms Roberts, who started the petition after a struggle to pick up a parcel just before Christmas, says she is pleased it has got to this stage.

She added: “All my indications are that it’s a positive thing, it’s not being disregarded, they are considering how they are going to go about it.

“The public consensus is generally that it’s something that people will benefit from because they have looked for a solution for many years.

“A process has been started, it might not be quick but it is further than it has gone before so I am pleased.”

The team leader for parking, highways and transport at ABC will produce a report for a debate and a recommendation at the next full council meeting on April 21.

An ABC spokesman said: “Officers are currently considering the matter so there is no further information at this stage.”

When the issue of parking was discussed in March 2018, Royal Mail bosses said there was not enough room outside their sorting office to introduce any car park spaces.

Instead residents were urged to use nearby public car parks or reschedule their deliveries.

In September more controversy surrounded the site when posties working at the sorting office were told they could no longer park their cars at the site due to safety concerns.

Royal Mail said limited space in the yard at the facility meant workers who used to park in the staff area now have to leave their vehicles elsewhere.

To view the petition, click here