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A community leader has said estate residents ‘urgently need to see action’ to resolve increased parking problems that Royal Mail is accused of causing.
Residents who live near the delivery office in Skyliner Way, on Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds, have safety concerns over an escalation in parking in their roads since the business banned its staff from parking their own vehicles on-site there last year.
West Suffolk Council, the local planning authority, said it had made Royal Mail aware there is a breach of its planning conditions concerning its car park.
It is understood that car parking spaces at the delivery office which were specifically allocated for private car parking for staff have been used for official Royal Mail vehicles.
Andy McGowan, vice-chair of the Moreton Hall Residents’ Association (MHRA), said: “We urgently need to see action to resolve this significant issue for the residents of Moreton Hall.
“Skyliner Way and Primack Road cannot continue to be effectively single-lane roads – they were not built for this and every day it is causing a health and safety risk for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike.”
He said buses and HGVs were having to go onto the wrong side of the road, and added: “We should not have to wait for someone to get injured or even worse before this issue gets resolved.”
He also said in a recent residents’ survey by MHRA, people from across Moreton Hall expressed their concern about this issue and the need for it to be fixed.
Steve Hubbard, who lives off Primack Road, said the parking problem ‘is worse, if anything’.
The driver and motorbike rider said: “There’s so much traffic on that road, I still think there’s a risk of an accident. I’m still really conscious on my bike.
“If I turn and there’s a car behind me I deliberately slow down. I just cannot risk turning and them hitting me.”
A planning statement submitted with the application for the delivery office had said the level of staff car parking spaces – 36 – was ‘necessary’ due to how early staff would need to attend to prepare for delivery operations, when there is no public transport available.
It also said there would be ‘no detrimental impact on residents in Bury St Edmunds’.
A spokesman for West Suffolk Council said: “We have made Royal Mail aware that there is a breach of its planning conditions and we cannot comment further at this stage.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are engaging with the council to resolve any concerns.”
Previously, Royal Mail said all staff members had been asked to park safely and responsibly.
The business said it could no longer accommodate staff members’ personal vehicles at the delivery office due to the growth of its fleet and safety concerns following ‘incidents’ due to congestion in the car park. It employs 160 people at the office.
Mr McGowan said the residents’ association was happy and ready to work with Royal Mail, the councils and residents to highlight the concerns and ensure they get a solution to this which works for them all.
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