Confusing' parking system at Beggarwood parade blasted

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Councillor Dan Putty, who represents the Hatch Warren and Beggarwood ward, said he was unaware the cameras had been installed in the car park at Beggarwood's Broadmere Road until constituents began raising concerns with him, and questioned whether local businesses had even asked for them.

As previously reported, Parkmaven Ltd introduced a pay-to-park scheme at the Broadmere Road car park, which serves a GP surgery, Co-op, day nursery and Beggarwood Community Centre — with drivers facing fines of up to £100 for breaching a one-hour limit.

"Why penalise people so much?" Cllr Putty said. "There is a doctor's surgery and sometimes you don't know how long it can take. There's a dental surgery on the other side, again, you don't know how long it can take."

Cllr Putty is frustrated by the ANPR cameras (Image: Newsquest)

He said visitors to the nearby Café-in-the-Park were also being caught out. "They have to be watching the parking time, and that's not really good for people, is it?

"The leisure and pleasure is being limited by cameras and high fines."

Cllr Putty said he previously had to intervene on behalf of constituents hit with "astronomical fines" at St Michael's Retail Park, and said he did not want to see history repeat itself in Beggarwood.

A Beggarwood resident who visited the nearby dentist said the signage was baffling. "The new parking signs are very confusing," she said. "They say 'Pay on Arrival' when you drive in, but also say '60 minutes free', and it's unclear whether you need to register for the 60 minutes.

"The website doesn't give an option of having an hour there — it only has options for half past the hour or on the hour. I parked at 11.57am for a dentist appointment and wanted to be there for about 45 minutes in case the appointment was running late.

New ANPR cameras were installed in Beggarwood (Image: Newsquest)

"It gave me the options of 12.30pm or 1pm and I had to choose 1pm, which then charged me £2.40 for an hour and three minutes."

The resident added: "These new parking measures are an affront to the community. People are parking to visit the post office, the dentist, the doctors, the pharmacy, the nursery, the corner shop and the community centre and café.

"These are basic community services which people are essentially now having to pay to visit."

She also flagged concerns from local reading group the Beggarwood Bookworms, whose members drive to meetings lasting longer than an hour and are unable to rely on the community centre's small car park as an alternative.

"The leisure and pleasure is being limited by cameras and high fines" says Cllr Dan Putty (Image: Newsquest)

The manager of the Co-op at the parade, who did not wish to be named, offered a more measured view.

"To be fair, it seems to be more confusion than anything else when people come in here and ask about the cameras," he said.

"It only seems to affect people who misuse the car park."

County Councillor Stephen Reid, who also represents the area, has previously written to Parkmaven Ltd calling for urgent talks on how the impact of the charges can be mitigated.