My Garston - Local News Magazine for Garston, Herts

KINGSWOOD SHOPS AT WAR OVER PARKING

Shop owners on a small precinct are at loggerheads after Watford Borough Council proposed that a number of parking bays be made one hour stay. The bays, which sit outside the precinct on North Approach, currently allow customers and residents to park for as long as they so wish.

However, the proposal comes after some shop owners on the precinct felt their businesses would benefit from restricted parking, which of course would result in more customers being able to come and go over the course of the day. However, this proposal has not been well received by some, with establishments such as the local Hairdressers not being happy with the plans. The proposals will not only see a number of one hour maximum stay spaces, but it will also see a disabled spot, which has no time limit. My Garston spoke to a few of the shop owners on the precinct, and while all agreed that a disabled bay was a good idea, opinion was certainly spilt on the one hour maximum stay for the rest of the spaces. Phil Pickersgill, who runs Kingswood Cars on North Approach, believes that making the parking spaces short stay will only direct vehicles into the residential area. He told My Garston: “I live around the corner on North Approach and it is already difficult enough to park. “If the council make the parking outside the shops short stay, cars will simply use my road and others to park up, making the problems even greater.” The shop owners also own the flats above, with tenants parking in the spaces, which will now mean they have to find alternative roads to park on, causing possible congestion. This opposition has been echoed by the Hairdressers, Funeral Parlour and

Beauty Salon on the same row of shops, with all stating that their services take longer than one hour to carry out. Susan Klapa, who owns SK Beauty, believes it will be a distinct disadvantage to her business as some of her treatments can last as long as a few hours. She said: “The parking has never been an issue in the three years I have been here and people actually comment on how nice it is to be able to park so close. “A lot of the tenants who live above the shops are on shift work, so they need to be able to park close by and the one hour restrictions will harm them.” Both Kingswood Cars and SK Beauty have petitions going which have a number of signatures on, but one of those who will not be signing them is Terry McGill, who owns Archers Hardware Store. He is very much in favour of the short stay parking bays, as he has been told by many people that when there are no parking spaces, they simply take their business elsewhere. He said: “We have a serious problem with cars being left outside all day, which of course loses us business. Myself and the Pharmacist are very much in favour of the council’s plans, and the local Residents Association is very much behind us too.” It appears that this is a subject which will not lie until one party can claim victory. What My Garston would like to know is, what do you think? Are you in favour of the short stay bays, or are you one of those who likes to park there for a longer period of time while getting your hair done or your legs waxed? Email us your thoughts to

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