Car Parking

[office@fmc2010.org.uk]

Hello

We have a bit of a problem/dilemma with car parking on our site. We have 69 dwellings and 22 car parking spaces, although many Residents don’t drive. All Residents are told, and we make it clear in our Licence and Residents Handbook, that we don’t guarantee parking for Residents. We encourage them to get a permit, which would enable them to park on the surrounding streets, plus for those who are more able, there is free parking on the streets just a couple of minutes walk away.

However, the reality is that once they move into their Almshouse, the Residents seem to think that they and their relatives/friends have a right to park here. We receive regular complaints from Residents about not being able to park and they’re reminded of the situation and the solutions available to them. Staff have also, on occasion, been subjected to verbal abuse from residents friends/relatives in particular who also don’t seem to understand that they don’t have a right to park.

We have automatic gates on our car park entrance, which are open during the day to allow access for deliveries, carers and contractors. So, we could close these during the day and provide the code to key people. There are lots of down sides to this though, including very unhappy residents, relatives who are delivering shopping and/or providing care etc etc.

We also thought about limiting parking on site to those who are perhaps unable to walk very far, but again we think that it would lead to very unhappy residents and also where would you draw the line on deciding whether someone was more or less able?

Just wondered if anyone else has experienced such a problem and whether you had any suggestions as to how we might resolve the problem.

Thank you
Carolyn

[clerk@salisburyalmshouses.co.uk]

We have got exactly the same problem at two of our sites and the Trustees want me to come up with a parking policy. We state in our handbook that no one has an allocated parking space, there is no right to on site parking if all the bays are full etc etc. I periodically send out letters reminding them of the car parking dos and don’ts, but we still have regular arguments and fisticuffs in the car parks. We thought about giving priority to those with blue badges but most of the residents with cars have them. One site has no permit on-street parking but none are happy to park on the street.

I am planning to have a meeting with all car owners at one particularly difficult site to try to bash out the problem, but I suspect we will get nowhere and I will just end up being verbally bashed!

I don’t believe there is a solution and think it is just going to be an ongoing problem as more and more residents come with cars and they all feel that they have more right to park them as close to the front door as possible than anyone else (and a number cannot park properly anyway and take up two spaces).

I find that car parks and laundry rooms are the areas most prone to ‘vexatious behaviour’….

Susie
Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

[office@fmc2010.org.uk]

Hi Susie

I suspect you’re right in that its going to be an ongoing problem. I just wondered if someone had found a magic solution. It will, however, be good to tell my Trustees that we’re not alone with this problem.

We too have also found that the laundry causes a lot of arguments…

Thank you
Carolyn
Faversham Almshouses

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