Blackpool residents call for end to three-year parking nightmare

Residents on Shannon Street calling for residents-only parking, from left: George Kellett, Raymond Castle, Sharon Jeffcoate, Robert Lidzy and Sally Castle

The residents of Shannon Street, central Blackpool claim to have spent years having to park elsewhere and fork out cash for pay and display spaces because their street is invariably filled with visitors’ vehicles.

Three years on from gathering a petition which proved unsuccessful, they have upped their call for a permit scheme after one resident claims to have lost his job because he was unable to park his works van outside his home.

Robert Lidzy says he came home most days to find he had to park his loaded van some streets away because Shannon Street was already full.

“That meant going out to the van every few hours to check it was okay,” said Robert, 53.

“But the van had a tracker and my bosses insisted it should be parked outside my home and I lost my job in September.

“It really does need sorting out – it’s crazy that we have to put up with the almost daily search for a place to park when so many other streets, even some further away from the town centre, have a residents’ permit scheme.”

Raymond Castle organised the petition three years ago and says he can’t understand why the plea for a residents’ scheme has been unsuccessful.

“We were sick of the visitors’ cars clogging up the street back when we submitted the petition and the situation has got much worse since,” said the 48-year-old father of three.

“I have a wife and children who are registered blind but most times, I can’t get anywhere near our home to park.

“I have to find another street or a pay and display space and then come round to the street to pick them up.

“We really can’t understand why the council won’t listen.”

A spokesman for Blackpool Council said: “We undertook a survey of local people to understand residents’ concerns with regards to parking more fully.

“However, a number of factors have changed since that survey. A key issue raised was staff parking connected to the police station. That has now moved and we would hope this permanent change would help alleviate some of the pressures on parking space.

“It is also now off season so we would also expect that on street parking demand to be temporarily less. The situation can be reviewed next year when the impact of these changes can be reassessed.”