Bexhill residents say they have been ignored by county council over parking concerns

Residents in a Bexhill street say their concerns over parking have been ignored by the county council.
Residents in Woodville Road at the street meeting SUS-190923-102837001Residents in Woodville Road at the street meeting SUS-190923-102837001
Residents in Woodville Road at the street meeting SUS-190923-102837001

Paul Courtel and Christine Bayliss, both Bexhill central ward councillors for Rother, held a street meeting last week in Woodville Road to alert residents to the formal consultation being run by East Sussex County Council about the civil parking scheme for the town currently with the Department for Transport.

During the informal consultation held earlier this year, Woodville Road residents submitted a petition along with an argument they should be included in the Residents Parking Zone, saying they already experience congested parking in the summer.

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Diane Johnson, petition coordinator, said: “During events at the park and in the summer, parking is so heavy that residents who do have off-road parking have difficulty getting in and out of their drives. This will become a constant problem once drivers begin to use the street for regular parking.”

But residents said they have been left out of the scheme, which is now going before Parliament.

Cllr Bayliss said: “If the county council is looking to get community buy-in for its new approach to car parking enforcement it has a funny way of going about it. To not even respond formally and give a reason why it has left Woodville Road out of the scheme is very disrespectful to our residents.”

Cllr Courtel said: “I think it’s essential that Woodville Road is included in this scheme and I’m urging East Sussex County Council to give this serious consideration.”

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An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “We did consider the request by residents for Woodville Road to be included in those streets where permit zones are being proposed, but felt extending the scheme was not necessary at this time.

“When civil parking enforcement is introduced, we will have the power to take enforcement action against vehicles blocking drop-kerb access to people’s driveways, regardless of whether the road is within a permit zone or not.

“We will also continue to monitor the situation in the streets around Egerton Park and residents will have the chance to request changes to parking restrictions in future parking reviews, which are carried out regularly.

“Under the proposals, parking would be unrestricted on Brockley Road, on the north side of Egerton Road and the west side of Park Road, while visitors to the park can also park on nearby West Parade.”

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