Westfield parking changes imminent
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
05/11/2008
Urgent changes to parking rules around Westfield will be in place within weeks.
Residents and business permit holders in the streets closest to the mega-mall will benefit from the changes. The council is using emergency powers to sort out parking problems caused by Europe's biggest inner-city shopping centre.
Following nearly a week of parking problems around the £1.7 billion development and numerous complaints - especially about Sunday parking - from local residents and business, council chiefs have acted to protect parking bays for permit holders and their visitors.
The current Saturday controls will be brought in on Sundays in Controlled Parking Zone G, which are the worst affected streets around Westfield. Currently, there are no parking controls on a Sunday in Zone G but by bringing in restrictions similar to those on Saturdays spaces will be better protected between 9:00am-8:00pm. Between 2:00-4:00pm and 6:30-8:00pm only residents and business permit holders and their visitors will be able to park. Visitors to local homes or businesses will have to buy a pay & display ticket and display a residents’ visitors permit, as they do now on a Saturday.
Following consultation earlier in the year the council is splitting Zone C in two and introducing Saturday controls in the roads immediately to the south of Shepherds Bush Green from November 24. This will become a new Zone CC. The council will then move immediately to bring in the same controls which will apply on Saturdays to operate on Sundays in the new Zone CC.
Councillor Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council Deputy Leader, said: "We have made the decision to fast track these simple changes in the worst affected streets around Westfield so they are not clogged up with Westfield's shoppers and staff on Sundays.
"Officers are now moving swiftly to bring in changes that will benefit local residents and business permit holders. We promised that Shepherds Bush would not become Westfield's car park and these initial changes will be put in place before Christmas."
The earliest these changes can be made due to unavoidable legal red-tape, like advertising new traffic orders and displaying statutory parking notices, is four weeks in Zone G and six weeks in Zone CC. As soon as these immediate changes have been made the council will then prepare further proposals for full public consultation with residents and local businesses on potential additional controls in all the zones around Westfield to further protect parking spaces for residents.
Cllr Botterill added: "Local people are demanding urgent changes to parking rules and we have acted swiftly to protect their interests."
