We have noticed quite a few questions being asked on Facebook about the position with regard to car park access and Acapela and we are also getting an increasing number of enquiries from local residents and clients about this. So for clarification here is the position.

The history of the land adjacent to Acapela is very interesting as of course it’s a site based in the centre of our village and has been important for centuries. Many residents who have lived in the village for sometime will remember the car park in the 1980’s and 1990’s as a piece of rough land that was full of pot holes, grassy mounds and often grazing horses. The area was difficult for both pedestrians and vehicles to use safely.

The history of the land is also the reason why Acapela and visitors to Acapela has a right to both access and park cars. Such rights usually require that they have been in existence for at least 20 years – Acapela’s rights can be documented for at least 80 years, indeed most probably back until 1835 when Horeb Chapel was first built.

These rights were recognised at the time the car park was tarmaced when various areas had to be left open to adhere to these rights. This can be easily seen if you visit the area. The two entrances to Acapela from the car park are evidence of this. First, the area at the back of the car park was not tarmaced when the car park was built (the gravel area where the Acapela bins are positioned) as this was left in order to ensure the rights for Acapela customers to gain access and park were adhered to.

In addition, the other steps that lead from the car park to Acapela, immediately adjacent to the Acapela outbuilding, also has no designated car parking space marked on the ground. Again this had to be kept clear to allow our rights of access.

When we first became aware that the Lewis Arms were putting up No Parking signs and cameras in early December, we arranged a meeting with Osian (Lewis Arms) to discuss the position and to ensure that the above rights were understood and to ensure that any cameras respected these rights. Osian confirmed to us that Acapela staff and visitors would of course be entitled to park on the gravel area at the back of the car park. He is currently working with the car park company to find a solution to ensure that Acapela visitors do not receive parking notices. At the same meeting we agreed that we would place signs on the gravel area clearly indicating that visitors to Acapela (who entered our building) could park on the gravel area. These signs will be erected shortly.

I hope this clarifies the situation to all – we would point out that at no time have we contacted the car parking company to erect signs and cameras and any issues with parking notices when parking in the designated car parking spaces should be referred to The Lewis Arms. As ever we would like to thanks all residents and visitors to Acapela for their support.