THERE are safety concerns as cars clog the pavement on a busy street after being offered a £100 discount for not using bays at flats.
Councillor Elaine Willmore, who represents Nunnery on Worcester City Council, said she has been “inundated” with concerns from residents about parking on Sheriff Street.
It is believed that some of the cars belong to residents of the flats at Sheriff’s Gate, with a discount offered to those who don’t take up a parking space on site.
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“It is difficult to find extra money for [parking] when budgets are already stretched,” said Cllr Willmore.
“However, the congestion has caused significant problems. Pedestrians are being forced into the road and cars exiting the trading estate are struggling to do so safely due to poor visibility.
“Delivery vehicles have also been unable to enter and exit as there isn’t enough room for them to manoeuvre which is impacting local businesses.”
She has called on Worcestershire County Council to carry out an “urgent review”.
Farlane Capital, which owns the Sheriff’s Gate development, said there are 137 on-site parking spaces to serve the 213 flats, which it has said is “comfortably above” the parking provision for developments of that scale.
It also said that many residents had taken up the £100 monthly discount to not take a parking space, which it said is in place to encourage car-free living.
Nonetheless, the firm said parking near the site had become a concern.
“The access road serving the development is not within our ownership,” a spokesperson said.
“Unauthorised parking on this road had become a significant concern, both for fire safety reasons, as emergency vehicle access must be maintained at all times, and for Network Rail, who occupy an adjacent part of the site and whose operations were also being affected.
“We have since extended our parking enforcement arrangements to cover this road in order to address these issues.
“We understand that parking pressure can arise on streets near any large residential development and we are sympathetic to the concerns raised by local residents.
“The management and enforcement of parking on the public highway is a matter for the local authority and Worcestershire County Council as the highways authority.
“We would welcome the opportunity to engage constructively with the council on any measures to address on-street parking in the surrounding area.”
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said: “This is a new issue and, whilst we would be happy to review the situation, it would be inappropriate to comment on potential interventions at this early stage.
“Should the review suggest changes to parking restrictions are required, they would be subject to support from the local county councillor and a formal consultation process.
“In the meantime, should residents consider the parking activity to be dangerous or obstructive, our advice would be for them to contact West Mercia Police.”
