Protection of Freedoms Bill

Memorandum submitted by a member of the public (PF 79)

(1) 1 am the owner of a property in Gorleston, Norfolk, which is a popular, busy holiday location in the Summer and also at other times of the year. There is a chronic shortage of parking spaces throughout the area.

(2) The property is situated within a small development in a cul-de-sac. Access to my property and the other eighteen properties is via a private road which is owned by the residents and maintained by them. This private road joins a very busy through road forming a T junction. Although the local council, at my request, erected a sign stating
Private Road-No Unauthorised Parking, people, both local and holidaymakers still park their vehicles on this private road near to the junction. This unauthorised parking obstructs the vision onto the through road, which I understand is illegal. Blocking of the road in the past has prevented emergency vehicles from reaching residents of the development which could have led to loss of life either from fire or medical reasons.

(3) Unauthorised people also park their vehicles in the resident's allocated parking spaces and refuse to move them when asked. This causes tempers to flare and aggression to develop on all sides.

(4) I would like to ask how I and the other residents can remove or prevent vehicles parking without permission (Not abandoned) from the private road or the privately owned allocated parking areas if the threat of clamping is removed? I feel that cars, trucks and vans will be parking in the location at all hours of the day and night and we will be powerless to prevent it. We already have to endure verbal abuse from some people. The resulting animosity between residents entitled to use their allocated parking spaces and visitors who are not entitled to would escalate. Heated arguments have already occurred and the police have had to intervene.

(5) The hazards have already been stated with regards to the volume of traffic in the area and obstructions to vision etc. The safety aspects also affect children and other elderly residents in the area.

(6) Thank you for giving my concerns/ evidence your attention and I hope provision will be included in this Bill to deal with the problems I have stated.

Summary

(1) How are people to remove vehicles or prevent unauthorised parking on private land, allocated parking spaces owned by other people or private roads if the threat of clamping is removed? The Bill as it is at the moment does not give enough rights to the owners of private land to remove vehicles and who would be financially responsible for this?

(2) How long is a vehicle to be left on private land, a private road or left in an allocated parking space before it is considered to be abandoned? Would this lead to a protracted legal process which seems to be happening with illegal traveller sites.

(3) How are hazards going to be prevented if people act irresponsibly and leave their vehicles parked on private access roads and obstruct vision onto busy through roads?

(4) The aggression of some people when challenged is very frightening and potentially dangerous. How are owners to be protected from this?

May 2011