Residents in a Toxteth street have spoken of “years of hell” after a large block of flats was built nearby without any car parking spaces.
Parliament Place was completed on the corner of Upper Parliament Street and Kingsley Road in 2018 and was built without any car parking provision included as part of the planning permission.
One elderly resident, who lives in nearby Beaumont Street, said the development had resulted in an “avalanche” of cars brought into the previously quiet street as people living at the block have nowhere else to park.
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She said the situation had got so bad that on one occasion ambulance workers had to carry her up the street “in the middle of the night in my nightie” because they were unable to park close to her home.
The woman, who asked not to be named, also said she now struggles to access her local shop on Kingsley Road because of cars parked up on the pavement of her route, meaning she cannot get through safely with her walking aid.
Another resident, who also asked not to be named, spoke of how the street had been “changed beyond all recognition”, claiming children were no longer able to play out due to cars “coming up and down at all hours.”
Residents in Beaumont Street said the problem began shortly after Parliament Place was built.
Planning permission had been sought for the building in 2015 by Elliot Lawless through his company Parliment [sic] Place Ltd although this was not officially granted until after the block was completed due to delays in a legal agreement being signed between Mr Lawless and Liverpool Council.
When the development went to the planning committee in June 2015, Mr Lawless requested permission to construct a five-storey block of “keyworker apartments” on the site, next to the former Charles Wootton College.
Planning documents show the development was proposed to be built without any car parking spaces at all for residents of the 116-room block.
According to a transport statement produced on behalf of the applicant there were “numerous opportunities for short stay parking in Birt Close and Kingsley Road” which meant dedicated parking would not be required.
In a council report produced ahead of a planning committee meeting the highways manager, who was at the time Andy Barr, stated he had “no objections” to the proposal and was “satisfied that the development would not have any significant impact on network operations or capacity” in the area.
A claim by the developer that the residents of the block “are likely to have low car ownership” was also accepted by Mr Barr, according to the report.
While the applicant justified the lack of parking spaces by stating that alternative provision was available on Kingsley Road, Mr Barr’s comments recommended a traffic order to be put in place on the road to “discourage any parking from residents or visitors on Kingsley Road interfering with residential amenity or the cycle infrastructure” and proposed that double yellow lines should be put in place around the site.
The report also said that although the developer stated the accommodation would be for key workers, there was no “necessity” to include this as a planning condition because there was no particular need for key worker accommodation in the area.
The report said the development was being considered more as “student accommodation” where little or no car parking would be needed.
It is also stated in the report that the head of planning, who was then Dave Hughes “considers that this development scheme is unlikely to attract residents with significant levels of car ownership in part because of the type of single occupancy, studio accommodation, but also because the scheme would be located on a main bus route and close to the city centre, the universities and the city hospitals where future occupiers are most likely to work – so in effect, there would be no real need to have a car.”
It continued: “It is also worth considering that car owners may be put off renting a flat in this development because of the lack of parking and therefore look elsewhere.”
As a result, it stated: “On balance, the Head of Planning considers that the proposed development would be acceptable, regardless of the applicant’s statement that it is for key workers and that in respect of car parking it should be considered as akin to student housing where little or no provision is accepted as the norm.”
Members of the planning committee approved the recommendation, with the minutes not recording any questions being asked about the scheme.
One resident living in the block said this was “ridiculous.” The resident, who has lived at the block since 2020 and asked not to be named, said: “Most of the people living here are not students and several of us have cars. It’s a nightmare trying to park round here.
“There’s no spaces and when we do park in the streets nearby, we’re getting in the way of people living in those streets so we annoy them.”
He said the situation was additionally “frustrating” because a car park situated at the development but which cannot be used by tenants was “nearly always just sitting there empty.”
The car park was mentioned in the 2015 planning application and included in the application – although it is only allowed for residents of the former Charles Wootton centre next door, which has since been turned into flats currently owned by Elliot Lawless.
The planning report said the applicant would allocate two spaces for staff at the site although people living at Parliament Place would not be allowed to park there.
When the ECHO visited, there were just two cars parked in the car park and several cars parked outside the gates at the back of the building. Several had been driven up onto the pavement, blocking pedestrian access along the narrow street.
One of the residents of Beaumont Street said they had asked the council for a resident permit scheme to be put in place but was told that this was not possible. Liverpool Council said it had received no requests for a parking scheme on the street.
She said: “I just feel like we’ve been left to put up with it, like we just don’t matter.”
Mr Lawless and the current block management agent, Urban Evolution, were contacted for a response.
Ross Spencer, CEO of Urban Evolution said: “The building comes with limited parking provisions and was granted planning permission on this basis by LCC [Liverpool Council].
“Residents should make their own enquiries before committing to a tenancy in any building regarding parking and proximity of amenities etc.”
He said that any residents concerned about parking should contact Urban Evolution, adding: “If the building is not proving to be suitable, we will do our best to accommodate an early surrender of tenancy and find somewhere else with amenities more accessible.”
Mr Spencer said: “I’ve spoken with both our block and lettings team, they both confirm we have received no complaints or correspondence regarding parking at Parliament Place, obviously our obligations as block managers are to ensure the building is compliant, functional, and well presented.
“Issues outside the scheme’s grounds relating to parking are very much outside of our control and the responsibility of the local council. We will contact LCC with your email and make them aware of the issue.
“If residents are aggrieved, they have no parking provisions they should speak with their letting agents to discuss exiting the tenancy at the earliest opportunity. If they feel they were missold their tenancy under the proviso parking was included, then they should make a formal complaint to their agent’s ombudsman.”
The council was also contacted for comment about the planning permission granted at the site and a spokesperson said Liverpool council was unable to comment due to ongoing investigations.
Mr Lawless did not respond to requests for comment on the issue.
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