Taxi drivers claim Fenland Council has jumped the gun over plans to move them to new site

By Maggie Gibson

TAXI drivers have accused Fenland District Council of jumping the gun over plans to move them out of the Horsefair Bus Station in Wisbech.

Their claims came after a closure notice appeared in the car park in Canal Street near The Case pub. The council has earmarked the car park as a possible site for a new taxi rank.

The notice states the car park will be closed from October 30 pending the result of public consultation.

Dave Patrick, chairman of the Wisbech and District Hackney Carriage Drivers' Association, said: "If they are closing the car park off there must be an ulterior motive. We are assuming this is going to be railroaded through."

Plans to move the taxi rank and the introduction of other new rules for all Fenland cab drivers go out for public consultation today (Friday). Members of the public have 28 days to comment on the plans.

A spokesman for the council, said: "This is private land owned by FDC and at the moment we have unauthorised people regularly parking there. Also, some cars have recently been vandalised. Those are the reasons we have decided to close it from next Friday. It will remain closed, as the notice says, pending the outcome of the present consultation.

"What happens after that is still to be determined. Once the results of the whole consultation are known, we will make a decision about the future of the land. But that decision cannot be made until all the responses have been taken into account and the whole consultation process has been completed."

Taxi drivers claim the proposed new rank, catering for fewer taxis, would lead to a reduced service and a loss of jobs. The council argues that there is a safety issue with the numbers of taxis waiting at the current site and that EU legislation may mean more space has to be left for buses.