Cars abandoned ‘for years’ causing parking woes by Bluebell Woods

About 10 vehicles left along Fermain Road and Becquet Road, St Peter Port, have been there for long periods, with some of them not moving for three or more years, it has been claimed.

The road runs from the pathway leading to Bluebell Woods and residents Gillie Revill and Louisa Partridge last tried to have something done in 2020 when they contacted Environment & Infrastructure to ask for the road to become a 23-hour zone.

Although properties in the road have parking, this is limited. In some cases visitors to the homes of residents will often need to find a space in the road.

Mrs Partridge said that after the request for a parking zone, a survey of properties in the area was carried out but the request was denied. She believed that one person objecting was sufficient to reject the idea. She has lived on the road for 17 years while her next door neighbour, Mrs Revill, has been there for nine.

‘It’s been happening for 17 years but the last five have been really bad,’ said Mrs Partridge.

Coach trips taking visitors to Bluebell Woods often pulled in near her home and she had heard visitors commenting on the state of the cars along the road.

‘Tourism [bosses] should be appalled with the visitor season approaching,’ said Mrs Revill.

‘It would be bad enough if it was just our community, but it’s a popular place for the general community.’

Hikers, dog walkers, people visiting Bluebell Woods or going to Fermain Bay all struggle to park, she said. The pair had written to other nearby residents in the road and all supported their call for it to be made a 23-hour parking zone.

Two Mercedes and a BMW are among the cars which have been there longest, and Mrs Revill said she had seen notes left on them by people offering to buy them.

Stickers attached to the windscreens by the police appear to have worn away over time.

All of the abandoned vehicles have up to date insurance discs.

Roads and Traffic Management manager Phil Ogier said that a consultation was carried out about bringing in 23-hour parking in the roads in 2020 and the decision from the Integrated Transport Strategy Group was not to proceed.

This was due to several reasons, but most notably because a majority of residents were against the idea.

‘If any vehicles parked in the roads are believed to be in a dangerous condition, causing an obstruction or do not have a valid insurance disc, these should be reported to the police in order for them to consider enforcement action or words of advice, as appropriate,’ he said.