Members of the St Augustine’s congregation were horrified this morning when they learnt of the scheme by Havering Council to impose Residents Only Parking in the road by the church where there are no restrictions at present. These will be in force everyday from 8.00 a.m. until 8.00 p.m. Objections have to be with the Council by the end of November and the new restrictions, if approved, will be in force in February. Many people who regularly attend church will be unable to park here as before and there is no where else apart from a very small church car park which is impossible to expand. It will affect the Nursery Scholl and other day time activities in the hall. After a well-attended Requiem Mass for Remembrance Sunday a petition was launched to object to these new parking restriction and so many signed extra sheets had to be made. There is to be no “dropping of” provision and with very active “spy” cars operating in this area no one will be able to stop for just a moment or two. It could mean the end of our well-supported Saturday Shop and our weekday Masses and other organisations which, at present, use our hall..
Residents will have to pay for the right to park outside their homes and I believe this is just another example of the council using car-parking as a fund raising opportunity; as well as inconveniencing church goers and hall users as there are no residents in the road on either side of the road by the church. Much of the problem with parking in this area has been caused by Queen’s Hospital charging prohibitive amounts to park in inadequate parking on the Hospital site as well as making little or no provision for staff parking. As a result of this policy people visiting the hospital or members of staff, park in adjacent roads with little consideration for residents who are justifiable angry at not being able to park outside their homes. The answer is for the Hospital being made to provide adequate parking on their site and charging a reasonable amount to do so.
PLEASE REGISTER YOUR OBJECTION EITHER BY SIGNING THE PETITION OR DIRECTLY WITH HAVERING COUNCIL
I agree entirely that this method of revenue raising is grossly underhand and reprehensible. Perhaps these 21st century successors to Dick Turpin could be conveyed to York to suffer his punishment.
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