RESIDENTS of Oldfield Park in Westbury say the area is in need of more car parking spaces following the destruction of green areas.
Due to limited car parking spaces, residents and visitors are using the green spaces to park their cars. However, residents say that there is plenty of room for Selwood Housing, the owners of the area, to create more parking spaces to stop the destruction of the grassed areas.
A resident also said, “There are a few issues here including when people are using the car park they get blocked sometimes by other people’s parked cars. So if you need to leave for work at 5am, you can’t.
“Personally my family owns one car, but some have two. It shouldn’t be a big problem to extend that car park. It’s shameful.”
In response, Selwood Housing said, “Selwood Housing owns around 20% of the properties on the Oldfield Park estate, and is responsible for some of the grass kerbside areas. Other areas of land are the responsibility of Wiltshire Council.
“We understand that there is a lack of parking, like in many areas, as when the estate was first built most households would have had one car, but now many have two or more. This has led to residents and visitors parking on pavements outside their properties and damaging the grass. There are other areas to park on the estate but they may be a few minutes’ walk away.
“As a housing association, our primary focus is on providing local affordable homes and managing tenancies. While we do not have the resources to continually check and enforce car parking restrictions, we do carry out regular estate inspections.
“We take reasonable action to address any issues within our jurisdiction, for instance if a complaint has been made about one of our customer’s parking. However, we have no control over parking by private owners or tenants who are not our customers, who make up the majority of residents in Oldfield Park.
“Our neighbourhood manager has worked with local schools to encourage parents to park considerately during drop off and collection times. We have also previously installed wooden stakes on kerbside areas to protect grass, and are considering using shrubbery to the same effect.
“We are open to suggestions for anything that might be within our powers to help with parking at Oldfield Park. We would encourage any concerned residents to get in touch directly by calling Selwood Housing on 01225 715 715 or emailing info@selwood housing.com.”
