Consultations to take place about moving taxi rank from Horsefair - due to EU legislation

COUNCILLORS today said they were between a rock and a hard place to consult taxi drivers about moving them off their rank off in Wisbech – because of new EU legislation. As we exclusively revealed, Fenland District Council is looking at plans to create

Story by: TOM JACKSON

COUNCILLORS today said they were "between a rock and a hard place" to consult taxi drivers about moving them off their rank off in Wisbech - because of new EU legislation.

As we exclusively revealed, Fenland District Council is looking at plans to create a new taxi rank alongside The Case pub.

The council's licensing committee agreed to start consultations about the plans, but the meeting revealed that an EU statutory group raised fears of buses being unable to safely reverse out of stations with limited room.

As a result, the council has been forced to find alternative spaces for ranks.

Kim Winterton, the council's licensing regulatory officer, told councillors the proposed site - currently a car park for The Case - is the "last piece of land we own close to the bus station".

When asked to agree the consultation, Councillor Philip Hatton said: "I don't think we have got any choice."

Councillor Carol Cox added: "We are between a rock and a hard place."

But Cllr Cox described the current location of the taxi rank is "convenient and helpful".

She said: "You can come out of the supermarket, or you can jump off a bus from an outlying town, straight into a taxi. It is the most sensible place for them to be and taxis would be lost completely near The Case.

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