Shop and restaurant staff at the new £84m Whiteley shopping centre have been told not to park in residential roads after fears that nearby streets could be clogged with their cars.
An artist impression of shoppers using the Whiteley Shopping Centre
One retailer had given new staff a map of nearby residential roads where they would be able to park, and it is thought other retailers were advising their staff that they could do the same.
Free parking at the shopping centre is restricted to three hours and staff at the stores will be discouraged from taking the spaces that shoppers would use. A lack of public transport, though, means most staff that do not live in Whiteley will probably drive to and from their work.
Laura Coulter, 34, of Coriander Way, said: “To be honest I have been very excited for the centre to open and hadn’t foreseen any issues at all with the parking.
“It was only as I heard what I did that I suddenly panicked and visualised hundreds of staff cars down our residential roads, creating havoc and even dangers when kids try and cross roads, or when people try and turn out of roads, or even if emergency vehicles or refuse vehicles can’t get through.”
Whiteley Parish Council vice chairman David Jenkins said he was concerned to hear that new staff may have been given maps of the local area for parking.
“If they have been given maps then personally I think that’s a disgrace,” he said. “I would hope they didn’t do it. If they did I hope they put something in place to rectify the errors of their way sharpish.
“I’m sure it will be monitored over time. You can’t stop people parking on a public road unfortunately. There is very little people can do to stop them parking there, unless Hampshire Highways puts in a traffic order to stop it.
“We shall have to see what happens when the shopping centre opens. We have to be mindful that there are people living around there. If there can be as little impact or no impact to the residents that would be good.”
Councillor for the Fareham residents living in Whiteley Councillor Sean Woodward said he was shocked at the reports and said this was something that should have been considered by Winchester City Council before the development went ahead.
“If they are encouraging people to park in the residential areas it’s going to cause chaos and bad feeling,” he said. “I really feel for the residents.
“This instruction, if it’s true, is extremely anti-social and irresponsible. They need to think about it and the council should have taken that issue into account.”
A Whiteley Shopping Centre spokesperson said: “We have told retailers that staff are not to park on residential roads. Marks and Spencer have assured us their staff have been told not to park on residential roads.
“There are dedicated parking spaces for people who work at Whiteley. This staff allocation will be flexible to cover busier periods.
“Once the shopping centre opens we’ll be monitoring the parking situation and the effect on the local area very closely.
“We also have a travel co-ordinator in place who will be dedicated to looking at any issues and working closely with local residents.”