Street parking in Shoreham centre a '˜nightmare'

Romilly Ainsley, who has lived in New Road for two and a half years, describes the current situation as ‘a nightmare’.

“I have a screaming baby, two dogs, shopping – and nowhere to park! Every day I’m driving around in circles, not able to get anywhere near my house,” said the 32-year-old. “The moment a space becomes available it is taken up immediately.”

She believes the issue has become worse for residents in the last year or so. She said: “Everyone on the street is completely sick of it. People genuinely say they don’t go out so that they don’t lose their parking space.

“People are even moving because of it.”

She said non-residents are leaving their cars on the roads ‘all day’ while they commute elsewhere, adding: “It’s a free for all – there’s no restrictions, nothing.”

While there is a car park in Tarmount Lane, which is ‘sometimes completely full’, she said ‘people don’t want to pay for parking’. She adds that the situation will become ‘even worse’ due to nearby flats being built.

“They are developing Shoreham massively and not looking after the people that are already here – it’s not fair to us,” she said. Romilly is calling for restrictions and ideally wants to see resident parking only.

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “When considering the potential for Residents Parking Schemes (RPS), the county council has to be mindful of impact to the wider area, for example, restrictions could result in vehicles parking in other residential roads nearby.

“Any potential future RPS would have to incorporate a wide area and would therefore require the support of the wider community

“If there was support, then we would then need to consider the resources and investment needed to progress the scheme.”

The spokesperson said the council is reviewing how it develops RPS across the county with a pilot study currently underway in Chichester, adding: “If this is a success, it is hoped that in the near future a wider programme of audits can be considered in the county.”

Romilly urges those who share her concerns to email [email protected]

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