NEILSTON’S parking problems are set to be addressed with the introduction of new restrictions.

The subject was discussed at the latest meeting of Neilston Community Council, when it was revealed that plans are currently underway to bring yellow lines to the village’s roads.

Councillor Paul O’Kane, who represents Newton Mearns North and Neilston, said: “I know we’ve been talking about this since time immemorial, but Neilston is due for it’s yellow lines.

“They will be consulted on in 2019. I’ve seen the draft order. What I will try to do is bring that draft order to the community council to get an initial sense of what’s missing or how it could be improved.

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“There is a very comprehensive plan from the roads department but they need to do a few others before they can launch this consultation, which should be in Spring.

“Neilston will have yellow lines. It will have parking restrictions that are enforceable.”

Community councillors described the current parking situation in the village as “horrendous,” with vehicles “being abandoned all over the village.”

They recounted tales of an ambulance blocked into Broadlie Court by cars and an elderly man on a mobility scooter unable to manoeuvre his way around a car parked on the pavement in Main Street.

Cllr O’Kane said: “It’s a good example of why yellow lines are needed. The ‘Keep Clear’ signs in the street are only advisable. They’re not enforceable.”

However, community council secretary Jim Sheriff warned: “Putting yellow lines down doesn’t fix the problem. The council has to enforce them.”

Also under discussion at the meeting was the car park behind Dunbar Butchers, which has fallen into disrepair since it was taken into the ownership of shopkeepers.

The retailers have appealed to the council to buy the car park back or contribute to its maintenance but the situation has reached a stalemate.

Cllr O’Kane said: “It has effectively become a public use car park, for people accessing the shops or the church or whatever, but the council cannot just resurface it, because of the ownership issue.

“The council officer who led on this has now left and a new officer has come in. I’ve been having some conversations with him about the potential for some kind of agreement, so that we can take back ownership of the area at the front of the shops and also look at the resurfacing issue of the car park.

“There is Town Centre Fund money in the Scottish budget. It’s there to help regenerate town centres, shops and all the rest of it. Whether or not we can access that money to resurface even part of the car park is under discussion at the moment.

“Once we know where we are, we will reopen discussions with the shop owners. My own feeling is that we can’t let it drag on for years, because the car park will just deteriorate.

“The challenge is we have to find a way to do something or it will just get worse.”