Parking limit is likely in village centre
ICCroydon
19th September 06
By Joan Mulcaster
COUNCIL bosses are due to rubber stamp a two-hour parking limit in roads at the centre of Tadworth in a bid to stop staff of a giant insurance company hogging the spaces all day.
What drivers are doing is not illegal but it is making it difficult for shopkeepers in the village to keep customers as there is nowhere for them to park, said Reigate and Banstead Councillor Richard Bennett.
And with a giant ASDA just minutes away it only takes the sight of packed parking spaces to make a potential customer drive there and its large car park - and away from the grocer, butcher and other neighbourhood shops.
Cllr Bennett said: "It's not illegal but its selfish, unneighbourly and antisocial, and we hope that this will help provide proper use of parking space in the centre of the village."
However, the few spaces to which the new limit - due to be agreed within the next month-will apply deals with only a small part of a huge parking problem in Tadworth and Walton-on-the-Hill, mainly caused by Legal & General Insurance Company,Kingswood.
Scores of the 2, 500 staff at the company cannot bear the length of time it takes to get in and out of the company car park morning and evening and are now allowed to use it only four days out of five.
Instead they park in side and main streets at Tadworth, Tattenham and Walton before gathering in groups for a company mini bus to pick them up.
Councillor Bennett said he ruled out Pfizer's staff from this problem as the firm's "green" parking policies has encouraged a large number of staff to use public transport to local rail stations before being picked up by company transport.
He said: "We did a survey of parking in the area before the company arrived five years ago and since and we are certain this problem has been caused by Legal & General
"When I was leader of the council I did try and talk to chief executive David Prosser about it but things have got no better."
The problem of staff parking at Legal & General has grown over the years since its London office was relocated to the village during the Second World War.
Instead of returning to its City HQ the firm stayed on the site and built a huge office block.
Although this stands next to Kingswood Station, a rail link to London via Croydon, staff prefer to use cars.
A proposal to run a road from the A217 across company-owned land direct into its car park was dropped and car use by employees has increased.
A spokesman for Legal & General admitted there was use of a minibus to pick up staff who parked in outlying areas but could not-comment further.
19th September 06
By Joan Mulcaster
COUNCIL bosses are due to rubber stamp a two-hour parking limit in roads at the centre of Tadworth in a bid to stop staff of a giant insurance company hogging the spaces all day.
What drivers are doing is not illegal but it is making it difficult for shopkeepers in the village to keep customers as there is nowhere for them to park, said Reigate and Banstead Councillor Richard Bennett.
And with a giant ASDA just minutes away it only takes the sight of packed parking spaces to make a potential customer drive there and its large car park - and away from the grocer, butcher and other neighbourhood shops.
Cllr Bennett said: "It's not illegal but its selfish, unneighbourly and antisocial, and we hope that this will help provide proper use of parking space in the centre of the village."
However, the few spaces to which the new limit - due to be agreed within the next month-will apply deals with only a small part of a huge parking problem in Tadworth and Walton-on-the-Hill, mainly caused by Legal & General Insurance Company,Kingswood.
Scores of the 2, 500 staff at the company cannot bear the length of time it takes to get in and out of the company car park morning and evening and are now allowed to use it only four days out of five.
Instead they park in side and main streets at Tadworth, Tattenham and Walton before gathering in groups for a company mini bus to pick them up.
Councillor Bennett said he ruled out Pfizer's staff from this problem as the firm's "green" parking policies has encouraged a large number of staff to use public transport to local rail stations before being picked up by company transport.
He said: "We did a survey of parking in the area before the company arrived five years ago and since and we are certain this problem has been caused by Legal & General
"When I was leader of the council I did try and talk to chief executive David Prosser about it but things have got no better."
The problem of staff parking at Legal & General has grown over the years since its London office was relocated to the village during the Second World War.
Instead of returning to its City HQ the firm stayed on the site and built a huge office block.
Although this stands next to Kingswood Station, a rail link to London via Croydon, staff prefer to use cars.
A proposal to run a road from the A217 across company-owned land direct into its car park was dropped and car use by employees has increased.
A spokesman for Legal & General admitted there was use of a minibus to pick up staff who parked in outlying areas but could not-comment further.
posted by Neil Herron at 1:32 PM
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