🚨 28 SPACES AREN’T ENOUGH – PROTECT PHOENIX CENTRE & BERMUDA VILLAGE 🚗

Bermuda Phoenix Centre is an important community facility serving Bermuda Village and the wider Nuneaton community.

It hosts sporting, recreational, social and community activities and is capable of accommodating up to 250 people.

Yet when the current developments are completed, the permanent parking associated with the Phoenix Centre and new retail unit will total just 28 shared spaces.

⚠️ Those are not 28 dedicated spaces for Phoenix Centre users. The permanent parking provision is shared between the Community Centre and the new shop.

This petition is asking Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, Deeley and Bermuda Phoenix Centre to work together to find a realistic, safe and accessible permanent parking solution before the opportunity to do so is lost.

 
🏗️ HOW DID WE GET HERE ?
The current situation did not begin with the latest construction work.

The original comprehensive development approved in 2011 included a replacement sports and social/community facility alongside sports and recreation facilities and associated parking.

The historic Transport Assessment calculated parking requirements for the different uses and included 24 spaces for the Community Centre/indoor leisure element, within the wider shared parking provision.

A substantial car park subsequently operated alongside Bermuda Phoenix Centre and the surrounding facilities for more than a decade.

Whatever the precise property or contractual rights governing that land, the important practical point is that the parking existed and was being used alongside the Community Centre and neighbouring facilities.

That real-world demand did not simply cease to exist when redevelopment was proposed.

 
🚗 WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL HIGHWAYS ORIGINALLY RAISED CONCERNS
During consideration of the more recent developments, Warwickshire County Council's Highway Authority raised concerns about the loss of the existing parking.

In its December 2025 consultation response, the Highway Authority referred to parking associated with the playing fields and Community Centre being “in excess of 40” spaces.

It also identified indications that existing parking demand could exceed the available supply and result in overspill.

Importantly, the Highway Authority initially said a parking survey was required and objected while further information was sought.

Following subsequent discussions involving the Highway Authority, applicant and Planning Authority, the position changed.

The later assessment proceeded on the basis put forward by the applicant that the existing car park could be closed by the landowner and that its loss could therefore occur irrespective of the proposed developments.

The Highway Authority ultimately withdrew its objection.

This petition is not alleging wrongdoing by any individual or organisation.

But it leaves an important practical question:

❓ If the existing parking demand did not disappear, where are those vehicles expected to go ?
 
🅿️ WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE DEVELOPMENT IS FINISHED ?
This is at the heart of this petition.

When construction is completed, the permanent parking associated with the new retail unit and Bermuda Phoenix Centre will total 28 shared spaces.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Centre can accommodate up to 250 people and supports numerous activities and community groups.

Nobody is suggesting that 250 people will arrive in 250 individual cars.

That is not the argument.

The concern is whether 28 shared spaces realistically reflect the parking demand generated by the different activities taking place at the Centre alongside the new retail use.

Phoenix and the surrounding facilities support activities including:

⚽ Football and sporting activities
🏓 Table tennis
🎨 Arts and crafts
💃 Dance activities
🥋 Martial arts
🧘 Exercise and wellbeing activities
🙏 Church and community activities
🎉 Private functions and events
👥 Other clubs, groups and community services

Different activities take place at different times and generate different levels of parking demand.

We believe the actual demand needs to be properly understood rather than simply assuming the permanent parking arrangement will be sufficient.

 
🚘 IF THE CAR PARK IS FULL, WHERE DO THE VEHICLES GO ?
That is where this becomes an issue for the whole of Bermuda Village.

If people attending the Centre cannot find an appropriate parking space, those vehicles do not simply disappear.

The concern is that unmet parking demand will be displaced onto surrounding residential roads.

Residents have already documented repeated parking concerns around the area, including vehicles positioned on or partly on pedestrian areas, close to junctions and around existing parking restrictions.

And this is no longer simply based upon photographs or residents reporting concerns.

 
🚔 POLICE HAVE NOW TAKEN ENFORCEMENT ACTION
Warwickshire Police's local Safer Neighbourhood Team has been made aware of the parking concerns and has undertaken repeated patrols.

In October 2026, the SNT confirmed in writing that:

“Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) were issued in respect of vehicles causing pedestrian obstructions.”

Police also confirmed that vehicle patrols would continue when force priorities and resources allow.

To be clear, this does not establish that every vehicle causing an obstruction was connected with Bermuda Phoenix Centre, and it does not mean every parking concern amounts to an offence.

However, it does demonstrate something important:

⚠️ Pedestrian obstruction caused by parked vehicles in the area is a real issue which has already required Police enforcement.

That is why we believe it is better to address the underlying parking problem now rather than wait until the permanent development is finished.

 
♿ ACCESSIBILITY MATTERS TOO
This isn't simply about the total number of cars.

Bermuda Phoenix Centre is a community facility, and community facilities need to be accessible.

Some activities are attended by older people and people with mobility difficulties.

A proper permanent parking solution therefore needs to consider:

♿ Appropriate accessible/disabled parking
🚶 Safe pedestrian routes to and from the Centre
💡 Safe access during evening activities
🚗 Suitable drop-off and collection arrangements
🏘️ Protection of surrounding residential streets

People should not find community activities difficult to access simply because suitable parking and safe pedestrian arrangements have not been provided.

 
📜 WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HISTORIC PARKING ?
There is also an important question concerning how the parking arrangements have changed over time.

Documents relating to the original development referred to shared parking arrangements within the wider development.

The historic Transport Assessment included 24 spaces for the Community Centre/indoor leisure element within the wider provision.

More recent transport documents themselves acknowledged that existing parking demand was likely being generated by the neighbouring sports facilities and Community Centre.

And, as explained above, Warwickshire County Council Highways initially identified substantial existing parking provision/demand and requested a parking survey.

Yet the later highway assessment ultimately proceeded on the basis that the existing car park could be closed by the landowner irrespective of the proposed developments.

We believe residents and Phoenix Centre users deserve a clear explanation of how the historic shared/community parking arrangements evolved into the permanent arrangement now proposed.

But ultimately this petition is not simply about looking backwards.

It is about finding a workable solution for the future.

 
💡 COULD ADDITIONAL LAND FORM PART OF THE SOLUTION ?
We do not believe the answer should simply be to accept that any excess vehicles will park elsewhere in Bermuda Village.

There may be other possibilities worth properly investigating.

Areas of land around the Phoenix Centre and surrounding facilities could potentially be examined to establish whether any are suitable for additional permanent or managed overflow parking.

That does not mean every apparently unused area can or should become a car park.

There may be ownership issues, planning restrictions, drainage requirements, underground services, environmental considerations, sporting requirements or access constraints.

And we are not asking for the football pitch or bowling green to be sacrificed for parking.

We are simply asking the organisations involved to investigate the available options properly before concluding that the current permanent provision is the best achievable solution.

 
🤝 THIS SHOULD NOT BECOME RESIDENTS VERSUS PHOENIX CENTRE USERS
This point is extremely important.

Phoenix Centre users are not the problem.

And neither are the residents who live around it.

People attending football, bowls, table tennis, dance classes, martial arts, community groups, private functions and other activities need somewhere reasonable and safe to park.

At the same time, people living in Bermuda Village should be able to access their homes and use their roads and pavements safely without residential streets becoming the default overflow parking area.

Pushing vehicles from a car park onto surrounding roads does not make the parking demand disappear.

It simply moves the problem somewhere else.

We need a solution that works for both Phoenix Centre users and Bermuda Village residents.

 
📢 WHAT ARE WE ASKING FOR ?
By signing this petition, we are asking the organisations involved to work together to:

✅ Review whether the proposed permanent parking provision is sufficient for the realistic demand associated with Bermuda Phoenix Centre, the new retail use and neighbouring facilities.

✅ Undertake a proper assessment of actual parking demand and potential displacement onto surrounding residential roads.

✅ Investigate additional permanent parking, managed overflow parking or other practical alternatives if the current provision cannot accommodate realistic demand.

✅ Ensure appropriate disabled and accessible parking, safe pedestrian routes and suitable access for people with mobility difficulties.

✅ Properly consider the impact of displaced parking on Bermuda Village residents, including surrounding roads, pavements, junctions and existing parking restrictions.

✅ Provide a clear explanation of how the historic parking associated with the Community Centre and wider development was considered when the current developments were assessed.

✅ Examine whether other suitable land around the Centre could contribute towards a long-term parking solution, subject to ownership, planning, highway, environmental and other necessary assessments.

✅ Bring together Deeley, Bermuda Phoenix Centre, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, Centre user groups and local residents to identify a practical way forward.

 
❤️ WE WANT BERMUDA PHOENIX CENTRE TO SUCCEED
This campaign is not about trying to damage or close Bermuda Phoenix Centre.

Quite the opposite.

We want its clubs, sporting activities, community groups and events to continue thriving.

But for that to happen, people need to be able to get there safely and practically, while the surrounding community is protected from unreasonable parking displacement.

This isn't about opposing development for the sake of it.

It's about asking a very simple question:

🚨 Is a permanent arrangement of just 28 shared parking spaces really going to provide a workable long-term solution for a Community Centre capable of accommodating up to 250 people, a new shop and the activities taking place around it ?

If the answer is uncertain, now is the time to investigate alternatives — not after the development is finished and the parking problems become permanent.

✍️ Please sign and share this petition.

Every signature will help demonstrate that Phoenix Centre users and Bermuda Village residents want the same thing:

🚗🏘️ A SAFE, ACCESSIBLE AND REALISTIC PERMANENT PARKING SOLUTION THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE. ❤️