A CONCERTED effort is being made to tackle an escalating parking problem on Alton’s Greenfields estate.

And Hampshire County Council will be hitting culprits in their pockets.

So problematic has the parking situation become that residents with insufficient off-street parking and too many vehicles have resorted not only to parking on the road but on the grass verges too.

And some, according to Alton county councillor Andrew Joy, even appear to be making a business of it.

The result is not only unsightly but, according to the county council, is causing untold and costly damage.

As a result, the authority has written to all householders living along Greenfields Avenue and Southview Rise with a request, under the Highways Act 1980, that they do not park on the grass verges.

The letter goes on to say that “the car parking situation is being closely monitored in the area” and advises residents that if damage is caused to the highway verges, which are not designed to carry vehicles, then the county council, as the highways authority, will seek to recover the costs of repairs from the owner of any vehicle identified as being the cause of the damage.

The letter has thrown into question where some of the vehicles parked on roadside verges actually come from. And why some residents chose not to use their garages or driveways but park in public areas, resulting in traffic problems and damage to once attractive grass verges.

It also, according to Mr Joy, begs the question over the “legality of some roadside vehicle repair and second-hand car sales businesses that appear to be operating on the estate”, and highlights the growing problem of parking works vans and even HGVs in a residential area.

A county council spokesman confirmed: “We have written to residents asking them not to park on the verges which causes damage, and also obstructs the road for other people, often making it more difficult for other cars to pass, and compromising safety for pedestrians, cyclists and people in wheelchairs, mobility scooters or those with young children.”

Ward district councillor Robert Saunders said he was “broadly supportive” of the county council’s action and hopes “it will go some way to persuade the minority of irresponsible vehicle owners to restore some civic pride in their living environment”.

He said: “I consider the grass verges to be an amenity not a parking facility. This subject was highlighted in Alton’s Neighbourhood Plan which said that verge parking ‘created a poor visual environment’.

“It is a difficult issue to resolve but a combination of implementation of the parking standards in the neighbourhood plan and to undertake some planting in the area might be a solution.”

While acknowledging that it is a problem that has taxed successive councils for years, town council representative Allan Chick pointed out that Greenfields Avenue has become busier, acting as a cut through for drivers wanting to avoid the town centre.

While a start has now been made to control the speed of vehicles using the route, with the recent introduction of a 30mph limit and the extension of double yellow lines from the Old Odiham Road to prevent roadside parking too close to the junction at that end of Greenfields Avenue, what residents really want, he believes, is a further reduction to 20mph. And some other traffic-calming measures.

In his view, because the grass verges are relatively wide along Greenfields Avenue and in parts of Southview Rise, a solution could be to reduce the width and introduce parking bays to give residents legitimate areas in which to park.

While the Greenfields estate has recently launched its own residents’ association, it also comes under the umbrella of Alton and District Residents’ Association whose chairman, John Grace, has his own view on the situation.

“The key issue is where to put all the extra cars that residents now own,” he said. “When Greenfields was designed, with its pleasant grass verges and trees, most households would have owned just one car, but today it is not uncommon for households to own three or four cars. Part of the reason for this is that young folk can’t afford their own house so live with parents, or they live in flats and maisonettes without car parking but need a car to get to work.

“Another likely big reason is that garages are full of anything but the cars for which they were intended. Can’t we encourage or incentivise people to clear out the garage and park the car in it?

“Digging up verges and Tarmacing them to provide on-street parking would alleviate the problem and would certainly look better than tyre-rutted verges. However, this would have consequences with rainwater run off which is already an issue on the Greenfields estate. In the 21st century might it be feasible to design roadside parking that incorporates proper drainage?”

Mr Grace concluded: “As the problem is multi-factorial the solution will also need to be so. Perhaps those who are responsible for the grass verges and roads could run a series of focus groups to get residents’ thoughts on the answers. It might be better than issuing fines.”