Residents have mixed views about a planning application to build four terraced houses on the site of 22 lock up garages in Grenside Road (EBC 2020/3495). While new homes would be welcome, and would look much smarter than the current garages, the resulting loss of parking spaces for local residents is a serious worry.
Unfortunately, the application seems misleading about parking – it claims there are ZERO spaces at present (where even the application’s own photos show parked cars) and that it would be creating four additional parking spaces: ‘Existing spaces 0, Proposed spaces 4’. In reality, it would be taking away spaces used by current residents, and giving some of them to the new homes.
The application’s Transport Technical Note explains that ‘the garage site is within private ownership therefore cannot be relied upon for off-street car parking’. It does not mention the currently used parking spaces on the access road, where the ‘new’ spaces are proposed. Strangely, it even gets the site location wrong – it shows the development site covering part of the Broadwater Path and a large patch of St George’s Junior School land.
What is needed is some coordinated action to ensure Grenside Road residents have somewhere to park – for example, on-street in Grenside Road, where currently places are taken by heavy school-related parking during termtime. If suitable controls can be brought in, then residents may even welcome the addition of smart new homes.
The challenge is that while planning consent is given by Elmbridge Borough Council, on-street parking controls are decided by Surrey County Council. Yet Surrey have repeatedly refused to acknowledge that the parking issues (and traffic issues) in Grenside Road are serious enough to require effective action – despite evidence like the photos accompanying this article.
PPDRA strongly supports residents’ attempts to get the parking issues looked at again, in the light of this planning application.
The parking is an issue but the lack of consideration to the residents and the wrong application for the garages as the first planning app for garages at the back of the flats was wrong it stated that thay were going to build it peoples private gardens fron no 4 to no 9 grenside rear and side elevations to this no is in there gardens no I hear that the foot path and the field are in the planes I think the councle have got this all wrong and stood be stopped and look again all residents now do not want this to happens I do not know were you get your info all the residents have told me thay do not want this to go ahead
Please ask the residents thay will tell you no to the building thay need to consider all the problems on this road first
Looking at the applications thay are both wrong and need to be looked at again this is a good reason to get them to stop this
To portmore Park residents association both applications to build on grenside the first stated the rear and the side elevation of no 4 to no 9 these houses do not hove garages in the back gardens planning were informed and have now changed the application that thay put up on the lamp post but not informed the people now the planned that thay put in for opposite the school building on the footpath and on the field this gos to show that all the planning need to be cancled and not go through because there job has not been done proppley and should be objected and not go through ore thay will be building on the field and get away with it please vote ot cancle all building because thay are wrong do not let them do in thank you Mr john cole
I have for the past 22 years rented one of the garages adjacent to my block of flats in Grenside road.
The reason for renting this garage was because never anywhere to park in Grenside road because of teachers and parents parking in the road for St George’s school.
The parking and road congestion has got much worse since the school became Junior and access now coming from the river road for drop off then through to Grenside and from Grotto road into Grenside so now 2 way traffic plus all the parking of teachers and parents.
Yesterday for instance the school had a pre school start sports day and it took 6 minutes to get out of my garage area as road clogged with school cars picking up children.
This is also a worry at certain times of day for emergency services as access to the road is almost impossible.
This proposal would take away 10 parking bay spaces that residents use on the entrance to the garages plus create possibly another 8 cars that need somewhere to park.
The whole idea of this new build is totally mad and will certainly not give moore parking but take away the 10 parking bay’s now in use. The only parking residents have as the road is not a option untill after 5.30 p.m.