© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
The problem of parking for residents is getting worse, considerably exacerbated by current planning policy, which increasingly restricts parking provision in town and city centre developments.
“In many cases, there is no parking whatsoever, in expectation that people will be able to use public transport, or walk everywhere, but in practice this rarely works, except in the largest cities, where the transport infrastructure is effective. For most people, their car denotes freedom. It is integral to their lifestyle, and they will use it, which means that it has to be parked somewhere when not in use,” explains director, Chris March.
“It causes a great deal of ill feeling between residents, when owner occupiers or tenants, who have paid for one of a limited number of parking spaces, find that it is occupied by another resident or a visitor, or even someone who has absolutely no connection with the site, but finds it a convenient place to leave their car!”
Yellow lines on private property are likely to be ignored, with resultant damage to grassed areas, where people park illegally, and to landscaping and lights as well as other vehicles. “When we are forced to introduce clamping, it causes even more resentment, but there are times when this is the only solution in fairness to those whose spaces are being abused, and all residents are given plenty of warning that permit-holders only will be exempt from charges, which are held in full by the appointed clamping company. In the long run, all these measures add to the service charge.”
Many people, quite wrongly, hold the developer responsible when these situations arise, not realising that any scheme is developed according to its planning permission.
Chris March calls on the government to review its policies, and be more realistic about personal car use, allowing a minimum of one space per unit. “Inevitably, there would be exceptions, but the current policy is plainly not working in areas where there is not good public transport provision – either for residents, or for councils that presumably have to waste their valuable resources policing illegal parking in areas where it is unnecessarily prohibited. Restrictive parking provision can be excellent in the right locations, but it is being applied in too many wrong locations. We need a more commonsense, flexible implementation of policy, rather than a blanket prohibition.”®Å½
John Peartree of the FPRA The Federation of Private Residents’ Associations, 59 Mile End Road, Colchester CO4 5BU. For more information log onto to: www.fpra.org.uk, which includes an application form for membership.