Blanket parking restrictions in the form of double yellow lines were implemented across the whole of the Canford Paddock development. This was notwithstanding opposition from the majority of consultees to the proposals. 

The Council ("BCP") cited that there is visitor parking on site. There are 39 visitor lay-by spots, the majority of which are occupied by residents on a permanent or a semi-permanent basis. Taking BCP at their best case, were each visitor lay-by always available for visitors, this would only be sufficient for just 10.6% of households to have a single visiting vehicle at any one time. The restrictions were imposed upon each and every road on the development without any regard to whether it was necessary for each road.

Residents are concerned that the restrictions will prevent family and friends visiting their homes, as well as crucial services, such as childcare and tradespeople, in turn preventing the servicing of their homes and harming the local economy. Given that the development has such a varied demographic, from young families to elderly residents, it is deeply troubling that those residents will not be able to host visitors without those visitors parking in breach of the restrictions.

In the BCP area, it is not sufficient to cite public transport links and it is entirely unrealistic to suggest that visitors or service providers can use these instead. Further, some residents, rightly or wrongly, were not aware when purchasing or were lead to otherwise believe that restrictions would not be implemented on their road. They are understandably concerned that this could have an impact on house prices. 

Residents agree, in the most part, that restrictions were required on Provence Drive (the main road running through the development). The implementation of blanket restrictions is draconian and entirely overreaching. 

BCP cite the need for emergency vehicles being able to access roads as a decisive factor in implementing the restrictions. Contrary to this, having lived on the development for c.4 years, the writer can highlight multiple occasions of different emergency vehicles being able to access the roads unimpeded, prior to the implementation of the restrictions. The only circumstance in which a waste removal lorry was unable to access the roads was when this was blocked by contractors engaged by the developers in the construction phase of the development. 

Residents instead propose that a more measured or balanced approach be taken, that being, that BCP should remove the restrictions from roads which are not Provence Drive (being the main road which residents accept warrants restrictions), or alternatively, provide parking permits to residents which could be temporarily handed to visitors or tradespeople when at properties on the development.