Last week LLRA had a very positive meeting with Wates, to discuss resident concerns about the impact that pavement parking has had on pedestrians on Long Leys Road, around the Wates offices.
As background, Wates have a short-term lease on the building, owned by Travis Perkins, for use as a regional hub. The office coordinates Wates activity for the region which covers an area from the Humber to Cambridge. As part of this function, field-based staff sometimes visit the building for meetings and to switch over vehicles. When a group of staff do have to visit the site, often for the first time, there has not always been sufficient parking onsite. During COVID-19 there has been a switch to Zoom meetings wherever possible.
LLRA highlighted concerns over pavement parking, especially for those with mobility issues or pushchairs, when trying to pass on the Curtis side of Long Leys Road. There is also the potential traffic bottleneck created by parking on both sides of the road. LLRA requested Wates look to address these concerns, on the basis of acting as a good neighbour within the community.
Note: LLRA have been advised by Highways, the police and parking enforcement that Wates vehicles are not in contravention of any parking restrictions on Long Leys Road. Pavement parking is permitted, provided the pavement is not fully obstructed.
Wates apologised for any negative impact their vehicle parking has had on the Long Leys community and expressed a desire to be a good neighbour. They have now negotiated extra parking with Travis Perkins, in their timber yard area, and are reducing the fleet of vehicles regularly held at the site. Wates have also tried to increase the size of their existing car park. This would allow them to accommodate visitors who are sometimes not aware of the parking situation and tend to park on the road if the Wates car park is already full. However, negotiations on this have stalled during lockdown and, as the lease is unlikely to run longer than the end of 2021, this may not be realistic to achieve. Wates plan to email all first-time visiting staff to advise them of the overflow parking area arrangements
LLRA will continue to liaise with Wates if further concerns are raised by residents. From a brief visit, Wates appear to have brought the building interior up to a very good standard, compared to the decrepit nature prior to them arriving.
Thanks go to Carholme councillors and the policing team for their assistance on this.
I’ve actually been in to talk to them twice since Wates moved into the premises to talk to them about their parking. If we drive into school in the mornings there are nearly always vans parked on the road, sometimes 3 together which makes overtaking them very difficult. The worst case have been when a van parks past the Wates entrance close to the road curve by the common gate on Long Leys Rd. This makes going past it very dangerous as you need to cut into the opposite lane and traffic often comes round that bend at excessive speeds during rush hour and you can’t see round the corner to see what’s coming. So I’m very glad someone has had a word with them as I’ve often said there is an accident waiting yo happen there.
Thanks for raising. I hadn’t noticed this as being an issue on pavements but there were regularly numerous vans on road causing a hold up to traffic flow. It did strike me they needed bigger premises.