Workers accuse council of creating parking chaos
EMPLOYEES at a flagship office development in Torquay have blamed Torbay Council for creating parking chaos in streets around the site.
A lack of parking space at the multi-million pound Edginswell Business Park has forced staff from some of the Bay's most prestigious firms to leave their cars in residential areas.
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not necessary: Rob Newman, from Kitsons, and Barry Dunnage, left, of the residents group with the double yellow lines Torquil MacLeod TQTM20130124C-002_C
This has led to confrontations with residents who are angry at being displaced.
The situation has been branded 'crazy' by local residents and an embarrassment to the £30million hi-spec development which opened in 2010.
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The council says it will meet to discuss any problems, but in the meantime workers should think about car sharing, cycling or catching the bus.
The problem started in December when the council started to enforce double yellow line restrictions on roads directly outside the offices.
Until then staff who could not find a space in the car park had been leaving their vehicles on the roads.
But as a result of the crackdown workers are now parking further away from the offices in the residential streets around Newton Road.
Melanie Birchell, director at financial firm Pavey Group, said: "Since the council enforced the double yellow lines they have taken away additional parking. There is not enough availability and people are upset and angry."
Rob Newman, partner at Kitsons, said: "They were not causing any obstruction. The roads don't lead anywhere.
"It would have been courteous of the council to give us a call before issuing tickets.
"It is not like the town centre where all sorts of people are coming and going and taking spaces. They would have known who was parking there.
"I don't see why they need double yellow lines there. It is not necessary, particularly on both sides of the road."
Some residents have been leaving notes on cars parked in their streets. Others have stood by and watched staff park and called the businesses to complain.
One worker said staff felt intimidated.
He added: "Staff have nowhere to park without encroaching on residential areas. We fully sympathise with the residents, but what can we do? The council is pushing us further away from the office to park."
Barry Dunnage, chairman of Edginswell Residents Association, said: "The council has created a problem now by enforcing the rules. People have migrated to roads some of which are quite narrow. It's a major problem and a source of potential danger."
He said some cars were parking on the bend between Edginswell Close and Collaton Road. The council spokesman said: "Transport planning officers in our environmental policy team would be pleased to meet with employers and the Edginswell site owners to discuss travel planning methods, including car sharing, possible provision of facilities for cyclists and the greater use of public transport in a bid to manage demand for parking more effectively.
"The yellow lines within the roads of the Edginswell business park were implemented as part of the original road construction, and were approved as part of the planning and highway adoption process.
"They have been in place since the road was formally adopted and any businesses moving into the park would have been aware of the restrictions."
6 Comments
by debbiemc21
Tuesday, February 05 2013, 9:35AM
“I took my job at Edginswell Business Park knowing that I could easily do my school run in the morning and still get into work on time. Now that we cannot park on the road next to our work I find the mornings the most stressfull part of my day.
If we park in Edginswell Lane we get notices on our cars from the police saying we are causing a hazard. I have also had people stopping and shouting abuse at me. Also the people in the nearby residential street have now taken to moving there cars off of there driveways and parking them on the road so we cannot park there. They also leave notes on our cars.
I am just a working mum trying to support my family! I would happily pay to park somewhere but we are backed onto the edge of Torquay with nowhere to go.
We are also trying to compete with hospital staff for spaces.
I don't see why these buildings were buildt with only enough spaces for 40% off the staff.
Oh and a lot of my colleagues do car share, use public transport and cycle but as we had offices merging from different locations this isn't always possible for people that travel a long way to get into work.”
by hayleywilson
Tuesday, February 05 2013, 9:11AM
“Oh council you have solved all of my problems as usual. I can't say I had thought of car sharing, cycling or catching the bus!!!”
by Pingu007
Saturday, February 02 2013, 8:34AM
“What was that about the town centres dying?”
by vulcan
Thursday, January 31 2013, 5:35PM
“Any story which so much as mentions Public sector and up pops Sid. You really are bitter about not getting a job with the Council are'nt you Sid”
by Azriel22
Thursday, January 31 2013, 2:06PM
“When the council's highways manager drew up plans to put yellow lines along Nicholson Road in the Willows Mr Cavanna of Cavanna Developments attended the council meeting and, in just a few words, told them just what to do with their yellow lines as the council themselves had blocked sufficient parking spaces on the Riviera Way development. The scheme was promptly dropped by the Transport Committee in the face of possibly losing the Cavanna business from the bay.
Yet more bad publicity for this backwater when they need every possible incentive to bring business in.
Regarding the council spokesman's suggestion that employees car-share, cycle or use public transport I suggest he/she looks in their own backyard first.
Clearly many of the surrounding roads do not need parking restrictions but the creeping menace is quite obviously intended to get residents to call for ever more Controlled Parking Zones - and ask Colleen Smith what she thinks of them - to be administered by the ever-growing parking services department.”
by SidneyNuff
Thursday, January 31 2013, 10:43AM
“If you live anywhere near the town hall you find your streets are clogged up with cars all displaying Torbay Council parking permits. Don't the council employees with their free parking perks have a car park they can use their free parking permits in?”