Amberley Close, Blackpole - 'tarmac the grass for parking' say residents

Residents in Amberley Close in Blackpole, Worcester, are calling for a small patch of grass to be resurfaced to provide extra parking and a dedicated bay for emergency vehicles. 

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Cllr Jill Desayrah, who has set up a petition calling for change, says ambulances and other emergency vehicles, including police and fire engines, may not be able to get through because of all the double-parked cars.

Paramedics will certainly struggle to park, she says, a situation she and residents feel could be resolved with a bay reserved for emergency vehicles.

PRESSURE: Amberley Close - the parking situation has been called a 'nightmare' (Image: BUSY: There is a parking shortage at Amberley Close. Photo: James Connell)

By alleviating the parking shortage and by providing a hatched space for emergency vehicles, she hopes access will be improved should the worst happen. 

She knows of cases where an ambulance has had to park a significant distance away from a critically ill patient and that people have had to be carried on a stretcher quite a distance. Sometimes, she says, ambulances have had to park in a neighbouring street.

In another instance, one woman ended up unable to leave her house after a motorist parked in front of her garage says the Warndon ward councillor.

PETITION: Brendon Allen signs the petition as Cllr Jill Desayrah looks on. Photo: James Connell (Image: PETITION: Brendon Allen signs the petition as Cllr Jill Desayrah looks on. Photo: James Connell)

Under the suggestion being put forward, there would also be an area for emergency vehicles, including ambulances, to park.

Cllr Desayrah, a councillor for the area since her election in May, believes the work would create six or seven spaces and a hatched area exclusively for the use of emergency vehicles.

So far 32 signatures have been collected on the petition which will soon be handed to Worcester City Council.

She said: "It's a nightmare for residents. There's a shortage of parking here. Sometimes cars are left parked in front of the garages so people are afraid to use them.

"We're not talking about tarmacking all the green areas, just this little bit.

"One resident could not get out of her own garage - that's why she only now parks on the road. We have received overwhelming support for the petition. The area we are proposing is not huge but it would make a bit of a difference."

However, she says similar plans were turned down by Worcester City Council six years ago. However, Cllr Desayrah said there was no reference to emergency access in the previous application.

Brendon Allen, who signed the petition, said: "We want the spaces - absolutely. Today is a good example of how bad it can get. It's bad now and people aren't even home yet. The weekends are terrible, especially Sundays."

Worcester City Council has been approached for a comment.