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Residents demand end of parking restrictions
Benedict Moore-Bridger30.04.09
Residents living next to Westfield are still suffering parking problems six months after it opened, it emerged today.
Restrictions aimed at preventing shoppers using side streets as a car park are causing more difficulties than they are solving, locals claim.
Last year, people living near the £1.7 billion complex complained when their roads were swamped by shoppers taking advantage of free parking on Sundays.
In response, Hammersmith and Fulham council introduced parking controls on that day.
Under current rules, only permit holders are allowed to park between 6.30pm and 8pm Monday to Friday; and 2pm to 4pm and 6.30pm to 8pm at weekends.
Meanwhile, pay and display operates from 9am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 2pm and 4pm to 6.30pm at weekends.
Locals want these restrictions scrapped.
Residents of Shepherd's Bush Place said they were still suffering because of the rules originally designed to help them.
Company director Jacqueline Showell, 29, said the measures brought in during Westfield's first few weeks were now simply disrupting residents when friends wanted to visit.
She said: "I have never not been able to find a space for my car. It seems they overestimated demand.
"We can't have visitors because of the restrictions. It causes me trouble because if my children want to have a birthday party, as we have family from Wales and all over the UK, they can't park anywhere in this area.
"It should not be pay and display. It costs £10 a day."
Council chiefs are now consulting residents to see whether the parking rules should remain.
Shepherd's Bush resident Susanna Swallow, 69, said the numbers of cars parking in the street had decreased since Westfield's opening,
She said: "It is absolutely fine. When Westfield first opened it was busy, but it has gone off a bit, because of parking restrictions probably."
A spokesman for Hammersmith and Fulham council said: "We promised that we would fully consult residents on how the restrictions are working and analysis of the results of this exercise is taking place now.
"If this process shows that more changes need to be made we will not hesitate to act in the best interests of local people."
Reader views (12)
LBHF - your residents are angry and disappointed with your lack of timely decision making. You are suppose to make decisions quickly to resolve their issue on-hand. The residents wants you to remove all restrictions! No consultation is needed, just do it!
- Max, Twickenham
A spokesman for Hammersmith and Fulham council said: "We promised that we would fully consult residents".
This is the same council that imposed needless restrictions on parking IN the centre, they clearly didn't consult enough before the construction, just laid down REALLY SILLY RULES at the behest of Green lobby nutcases and the cowardly PC faddists.
They need reminding who works for whom and how economies work.
- Frank H., London UK.
LBHFs pledge the morning of Westfield's opening that "Shepherd's Bush won't become a Westfield carpark" has so far proved untrue for many local residents and seems to have been for the benefit of BBC Breakfast viewers alone.
Parking in some streets is clearly worse off. Why LBHF havn't acted on the obvious parking issues to the area sooner needs to be called to question.
It is madness that a road facing 2 of the 3 entrances to the site does not have residents only parking!
Permit Holders Only, Mon-Sun, 9am-11pm with Resident/Visitor Smart Card system...
- Dom Thomas, London
Being from Brighton I know all about visitors and parking problems. However our council seems to have solved them in a reasonably creative way - we can buy visitors' parking permits for £2 (limited to 50 per year) so our nearest and dearest have some hope of seeing us.
Visiting Macfarlane Road is a nightmare - IF you can find a parking place it still costs you £20 on a bank holiday - when travelling by train is not a viable option because it is --- a bank holiday.
This is a clear example of H&F showing no interest in their residents, only in their wallets.
- Isabelle Collins, Brighton
I believe that parking in the roads surrounding Westfield should be restricted to Residents and Guests only at weekends. Parking should be free for Residents' Guests. It is outrageous that visiting guests have to pay around £20 each day at the weekend in Macfarlane Road. It is annoying when guests come to stay for them to have to try and gather together the correct amount of change to feed the meters. It is also extremely annoyting that parking charges start at 9.00 am on a Sunday morning when the shopping centre has not even opened but when busy people are trying to have a much earned late morning snooze.
- Sharon, London, London
Perhaps Prince Charles should turn his attention from how a building looks, to whether or not a proper amount of parking is built for the building.
- Trunk, US
No we do not want the parking restrictions lifted. In fact we want them extended to include Boxing Day which was very bad and other bank holidays. We want the council to creatively consider our visitor access. Your article is based on anecdotal evidence of two (perhaps media connected) people.
Please, in future present a balanced view of parking in the area. To do this contact, poll and cite the resident associations representing people living at the Westfield front line.
- Gw, Shepherds Bush
Just wait until Christmas or the cinema opening, then you'll be glad of as many parking restrictions as they will give us! This is not a good time to judge the numbers of people shopping at Westfield, everyone is either saving their pennies or trying not to catch swine flu! Probably a good time for Amazon!?
- Paul, Shepherd's Bush, London
The H&FC and Westfield have failed to consider the impact of the centre on the local residents. So far the response from the council to the problem of parking has been to maximise revenue and not to consider the requirements of residents whatsoever. For instance, the council’s first response to the problem was to extend the parking restrictions on single yellow lines to include Sundays as well. This simply meant there was more pressure on residents’ spaces and there were no free spaces for visitors.
The council have been short-sighted, incompetent and entirely toothless when it comes to dealing with Westfield.
- Matt C. Minor, London
This may be true for the other streets surrounding Westfield but Macfarlane Road is still extremely congested at the weekends with shoppers trying to park there. We are also inundated disabled blue badge holders (probably using them illegally) who are all parking there for free. If the restrictions are removed we'll never be able to find a spare space at the weekend. Our visitors shouldn't have to pay and that's why we want a vistor's permit that allows them to park for free.
- Jessica Broughton, London
This does not reflect the full view of all residents around Westfield, in particular Macfarlane Road which has both entrances opposite two of Westfield's main entrances and suffers constant parking problems meaning that residents cannot park, plus a whole host of other intrusions and disturbances. Yes, there is a real problem in having visitors with it costing almost £20 per day to visit and the current restrictions are inadequate but a return to free parking on Sundays across the board will bring a return of the chaos we had in November 08. Some sort of visitor free permit is needed at the weekend.
The Macfarlane Road residents Association is campaigning vigourously for an improvement in the parking situation and the H&F Council is aware of our difficulties.
- Vivienne James, London
When did a council EVER remove parking restrictions that were a source of revenue?
- George, London
