New Battersea CPZ Slammed as Unnecessary
Local home owner says 'confusing' signs will catch out visitors
Oguz Atak, 42, in Battersea
September 26, 2023
“Confusing” new restrictions which ban non-permit holders from parking on certain streets for just an hour on weekdays have been slammed. Oguz Atak, 42, said the new controlled parking zone (CPZ) in North West Battersea came “out of the blue” and means drivers face being “caught out” by fines.
Mr Atak told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he was not aware the zone had been introduced by Wandsworth Council until he was slapped with a £65 fine after parking on a street near a home he owns in Battersea in April this year. The property is in the B6 parking zone, which is adjacent to streets in the new B9 zone.
Drivers could park on streets now included in the B9 zone free of charge and without time limit before the restrictions were introduced. Mr Atak said he previously had to park on the streets when spaces on his road were full. He lived in the property for several years and still visits it.
But only residents in the new Battersea B9 zone with permits can park on these streets from 10am to 11am on Mondays to Fridays after the council introduced the scheme in February, which hasn’t been made permanent yet. Anyone caught without a permit faces a fine. There are a very limited number of visitor bays across the zone, which operate from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and require drivers to pay by phone.
The estimated cost of implementing the B9 zone is £75,000 to £80,000, according to a Freedom of Information request obtained by Mr Atak.
Mr Atak argued introducing the restrictions from 10am to 11am “doesn’t make sense” and said he has “never heard of anything like this anywhere”. He said it has made visiting the property he owns more “challenging” as it restricts when he can park in the area.
He described the restrictions as “confusing” and said signs used to mark the zone are too small. He said visitors could be “caught out” with parking tickets if they do not know the zone has been introduced.
He added, “As it is, it looks like they just want to issue tickets, nothing else, 10am to 11am, there is nowhere to park… [it feels like] don’t come to this area, if you come they will charge you, you will be caught up.”
Sign displaying the Battersea B9 parking zone
The council launched a consultation on the zone at the end of 2021 after locals raised concerns about parking and traffic in the area, including a petition from residents and businesses on Gartons Way, Chatfield Road and Mendip Road requesting the introduction of a CPZ. The authority said the problems were mostly caused by commuters and other visitors abandoning their cars for long periods in the area and introduced the restrictions to tackle this.
But Mr Atak said he felt the council had not justified implementing the CPZ to the extent it had or listened to concerns about the restrictions, while the response rate to the consultation was “very low”.
Out of the 6,373 properties consulted, the council received 310 responses – a response rate of 4 per cent across the whole consultation area. A total of 208 respondents supported the introduction of a CPZ, while 59 were against the restrictions.
Mr Atak argued the restrictions are not needed on all of the streets included in the zone. He said it was “impossible” to find a parking space on the streets where locals had set up a petition requesting a CPZ, before it was introduced, but that the council had “started from there and then from that they… widened [the zone] extremely”. He said he believed the council has “tried to solve a problem which doesn’t exist” in all of the affected streets.
He has contacted the council multiple times to raise concerns about the zone since its implementation but said he felt the authority was “not willing to listen to any complaints [about] what they’ve done”.
He said the council should install parking machines in the zone and allow non-permit holders to pay to park during the times the restrictions apply. He also called for the council to make the restricted hours more “reasonable”.
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said, “The Battersea CPZ has been introduced to remove commuter and other long-stay free parking thereby improving parking conditions for residents, their visitors, essential business vehicles and those using local facilities. The B9 zone has been introduced under an experimental traffic management order to provide a period of operational experience and the council will consider feedback from local residents and businesses when deciding whether any changes should be made, or if the scheme should be made permanent.
“CPZs operate throughout most of the borough to prioritise the limited available on-street parking for the local community. Removing commuter and long-stay parking makes it easier for residents and their visitors to park near their home. Because CPZs designate where it’s safe to park and where it’s not, they create better visibility at junctions, improve access for emergency services and other large vehicles like rubbish/recycling or removals trucks and delivery vans.
“Preventing dangerous or nuisance parking also helps to improve road safety for all users of the highway and reducing traffic volumes/congestion contributes towards improved air quality. CPZs help to discourage private vehicle ownership and promote the use of more sustainable transport options, such as public transport and active travel e.g. walking and cycling, in line with the council’s wider transport policy.”
Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter