Car owners living in London’s East End are protesting after a Town Hall mix-up which means they are now being banned from parking in their street designated a ‘car free’ zone.
The mix-up came to light when they tried to renew their annual permits and were refused.
Selda Bicer was told by Tower Hamlets Council that she was no longer eligible to park in Horseferry Road in Limehouse, where she lives, as the turning is ‘car free.’
Yet the council has been giving permits out for the past eight years.
“At no point since 2002 up until I went to buy a permit in September was any resident aware of this ‘car free’ zone,” she told the East London Advertiser.
“There was no correspondence, no consultation period, no signed paperwork or any agreement and definitely no mention when signing the lease for our property.”
Residents at the Newlon Housing Trust development have been told they will be given permits for just one more year while they make alternative arrangements for their cars.
They were informed by letter: “Tower Hamlets Council have confirmed residential permit (sic) have been issued to residents of Horseferry Road but state this was in error.”
The letter warns: “The council is obliged by law not to issue any on-street resident parking permits or visitor ‘scratch’ cards to this type of address.”
The council’s acting Head of Parking, Bosa Chude, told Selda Bicer that the development had been designated ‘car free’ by law as part of a planning agreement and residents should have been told. A planning deal with developers in 1999 banned residents’ parking.
Now the angry residents are handing in a petition to the Town Hall at its January 27 council meeting.
You can avoid having to pay high London parking fees and fines by using the Tube and our text service to find free parking near tube stations outside the congestion zone.
Simply text the word Parking plus the name of a tube station OUTSIDE THE CONGESTION ZONE to 80039 and you’ll receive a text back giving you three locations near the tube, or the one closest to it on the same line.
Hi,
They’ve done it again at the Somerford Grove Newlon Housing Estate just last week. We went to the Newlon meeting in which case they mentioned they will inform the parking service in this matter. We’ve been getting the permits for 5 years untill this car free zone rubbish was invented by Newlon Housing. Any advise would be helpful.
Thanks
Taha