New homeowners must be told if they have no parking

Adam Hewitt • Published 13 Dec 2010 09:30 8 Comments

See also:

COUNCILLORS warned homeowners and landlords to honour their obligations to tell buyers and renters if the house they are moving to comes without on-street parking.

At the Reading borough planning meeting on Wednesday night last week, the committee said too often people move in without realising they are not entitled to park on the street and then expect councillors to "do something about it".

Planning officers have begun including a condition when granting planning permission that vendors must tell buyers exactly what the parking situation is and make it clear in advertising if a home has no parking.

Councillors were discussing an application, which they approved, to refurbish, extend and convert 1-3 Eldon Road into eight one-bed and two two-bed flats. Ward councillor Kirsten Bayes voted in favour but said: "The size and scale of this are a concern. The developer has brought it back to a more reasonable scale, but even now is only proposing three parking spaces."

But she admitted there was "nothing we can do" about this because a planning inspector, in an earlier appeal relating to the site, had declared it acceptable.

Cllr Tony Page reminded the owner of their duty to tell any new occupants that they should not expect to be able to park on-street.

Councillors unanimously approved the plans, subject to payments totalling £10,115 being made by the developer towards nearby leisure and school facilities and the transport network.

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 13 Dec 10

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

SteveHello1234
3 posts
Dec 14, 09:44
Report comment

What a joke !

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0
Steve Berry
Unregistered User
Dec 14, 11:49
Report comment

Rather than that, RBC should simply punish drivers that DO park where they shouldn't. I see they've painted white lines down the top of Norcot Road to accommodate people who started to park there some years ago (moving into a house where there was no parking!). This has made the road MUCH narrower and when two buses pass each other it's a damn, close run thing! In Japan you can't buy a car unless you have somewhere to park it. RBC should have cut down on parking years ago (nice to see Councillor Willis has finally started the process) but we've had to put up with idiot councillors focusing on the wrong things and not caring about the problem of people moving into a house that doesn't have a parking space. The Meadway between Routh Lane and Dunsfold Road is another.

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0
africanlady
3 posts
Dec 14, 12:03
Report comment

This I think should be a mandatory requirement. If one doesn’t own a car a house without any form of parking may not be a problem than if one does and it will avoid parking nightmares for the new tenants or home owners. One also needs to know that visitors can park without worrying that that they have to watch the clock and move the car every two hours or hour.

Every home owner when selling a home or renting it, as part of the key exchange a parking permit of sorts should be included as mandatory, the new estate as you drive towards madjeski stadium has a very interesting parking permit scheme, it might limit how many people can visit, as I think they have one /two visitor parking permits per household unlike the Thames valley housing association flats on oxford road no provision of parking what so ever was thought off let alone speaking to the landlords on prospect mews to allow parking after business hours or overnight with permits as parking on prospect street isn’t working to accommodate those who live on that street and those on oxford road.

Anyway the parking permits and parking tickets are raking in thousands for the council especially with the impending cuts the money has to come from somewhere to maintain hopefully essential services.

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0
SteveHello1234
3 posts
Dec 14, 12:41
Report comment

How can anyone grant planning for 10 flats with only 3 parking spaces between them ?

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0
Rigella Nawson
Unregistered User
Dec 14, 14:33
Report comment

@SteveHello1234: Yes, it's absolutely ridiculous!

I propose that the RBC building is converted into a multi-storey carpark to allow all those who have trouble parking a place to park their vehicle(s). Plus it is right next door to the police station so security will be top notch.....

The council can move into one of those derelict industrial units behind Morrisons.

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0
Craig Revel-Minstrel
Unregistered User
Dec 14, 14:45
Report comment

Was Cllr Tony Page one of those who also backed the disaaaaaaster that was the HIPS scheme?

If the house you want to buy doesn't have off-street parking then it is up to you to find out whether there is any available parking such as that provided by a parking permit scheme. Why should the burden always be with the seller? Can buyers not think for themselves?

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0
Steve Berry
Unregistered User
Dec 15, 14:03
Report comment

Craig. But buyers don't care! That's the point. They move in - then complain to the council that there's nowhere to park! RBC must do something about parking - they cannot carry on giving way to home-owners like those near the top of Norcot Road, or where does it end? They should write to all the tenants down Norcot Road (just for starters) and tell them that there will be double yellow lines painted and that they'll just have to find somewhere else for their cars, or move home! Then they might think about tackling Erleigh Road!

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0
africanlady
3 posts
Dec 16, 13:28
Report comment

@ craig buyers can think for themselves and so can tenants but if you want to sell/ let why cannt you also provide the information on parking with regards to your property with all the other specifications one is already providing.

Recommend? Yes 0 No 0

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @rdgchronicle