Melton residents angry over shoppers and workers using their car park

Fuming residents at flats in Melton town centre have had enough of their car park being full of cars belonging to people who don’t live there.
Brian Ellis with other disgruntled residents who are fed up with motorists using their car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105440001Brian Ellis with other disgruntled residents who are fed up with motorists using their car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105440001
Brian Ellis with other disgruntled residents who are fed up with motorists using their car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105440001

Complaints have been made to the borough council, MP Sir Alan Duncan and now the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman because of the long running issue on Chapel Street.

Those tenants with cars say there are rarely any spare spaces, because motorists have parked there free of charge to go to work or to the shops, rather than pay to use an adjacent public car park.

Resident Brian Ellis told the Melton Times: “We have even had cars without MOTs and tax left there until they can be fixed, and on one occasion a vehicle was left for over a week, and on their return they were pulling a suitcase having obviously been on holiday and dumped their car before catching a train or bus.

The sign denoting the residents' car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105542001The sign denoting the residents' car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105542001
The sign denoting the residents' car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105542001

“We very often come home and there are no parking spaces left and have to use the pay and display.”

Mr Ellis said council officials did begin putting letters on windscreens of vehicles to warn them the spaces were for residents, but this initiative was not continued.

He is hoping the ombudsman will now put pressure on the authority to do more to protect their car park for use by people who live there.

“We have had enough and approached Melton Borough Council who said there is nothing they can do, at a tenants forum at the council offices,” Mr Ellis added.

The residents' car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105614001The residents' car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105614001
The residents' car park on Chapel Street, Melton EMN-190918-105614001

A spokesperson for Melton Borough Council said: “The council has several car parks dotted around its housing stock, including the one at Chapel Street flats.

“These small car parks are clearly marked as ‘Resident Only Parking’.

“We are currently investigating placing these small car parks onto our ‘Permitted Parking Scheme’, incorporating the car parks to the patrol strategy for the civil enforcement officers who could issue fixed penalty notices for those vehicles parked without permits. We will keep affected residents informed as we progress.”