Residents have been left fuming as they now risk being fined £100 for parking outside their own homes after new restrictions were brought in by a housing association.
Locals living in Caxton Close, in Tenterden, Kent, have branded the new rules "outrageous" while claiming there are not enough spaces for residents and that even those with permits have been wrongly fined by automatic cameras.
Furious residents have branded the scheme "outrageous" after it was introduced to crack down on non-tenants leaving their cars in the cul-de-sac and walking to the nearby high street.
But visits from family, friends and carers are effectively “barred” since the scheme began.
Even those living in the street say they have been wrongly hit with fines and had their appeals rejected – despite having permits and using the allocated spaces.
Previously tenants and visitors would park uninhibited in a private car park in Caxton Close or elsewhere along the quiet road.
But the new scheme restricts parking to just 27 marked bays – despite there being 38 homes in the street.
Residents say at least 23 people have already been penalised by automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in the first four weeks of the scheme.
Among them is Robert Lake, who has lived in Caxton Close for 15 years and relies on his children to help care for his wife, who has dementia.
The 82-year-old bought a yearly residents’ permit for the token amount of £2.50, allowing him to use one of the bays in the car park.
But spaces are already in high demand, and under the new restrictions tenants and visitors can no longer park elsewhere in the street, as previously allowed.
Mr Lake - who says he tried and failed to get his children a visitors’ permit - says the scheme has left them scared to visit.
He said: “My daughter and my son come down to look after my wife and do jobs.
“My daughter was the first one to ring me; she said ‘Dad, I’ve got a parking ticket’.
“I asked to have my son and my daughter registered and I said I’d pay the £2.50 a year, but I heard nothing back, so I assumed it was dealt with.
“In the meantime, my son has got a fine, and I’ve got one myself, which is amazing because of all the years I’ve been here.
“It’s just outrageous. Most of us are pensioners struggling to pay our heating bills.”
Mr Lake attempted to query the fines by calling National Parking Enforcement Ltd (NPE), which administers the penalty notices, but was met only with an answer machine.
He added: “There is no one you can talk to. They keep saying to go on the internet, but I haven’t got access to it.
“In the meantime, my wife is ill and my kids are scared to come down. We are barred from our own family.”
The housing association homes in Caxton Close are managed by Clarion Housing Group, while NPE is in charge of the parking.
The rules say drivers must use a marked bay for a permit to be valid.
The only alternative now is to park on the nearby high street, where there is a restriction of just one hour, which is little good for many carers visiting residents.
Fitz Richards, 62, who moved in just six months ago, says three people who have come to visit him have received fines.
He said: “One of the people fined was my carer, who is here for a few hours on a daily basis.
“It’s a public highway - it’s not private land. So anyone should be able to park here.
“It is affecting people’s lives. Other people have paid their fines but I’ve told them not to.
“Clarion says it’s not up to them, but the cameras are on their buildings.
“When you have 20 or 30 people complaining about the same thing, they should step in.”
Resident Angela Clark, 39, has been fined twice despite having a permit.
She says the ANPR cameras were installed more than a year ago but have only been active since the scheme was introduced last month.
“The cameras were supposed to be a way to deter people from parking here and walking up the high street,” she said.
“They will go on our maintenance bill, which we will have to pay for in September.
“So not only do we have to pay for a parking permit each year and the cameras, but we are also paying for the fines.
“My appeal got rejected because they say I’m not registered, but I am and I can prove that.”
Fellow resident Raymond Bridges, 67, says the rules have left him feeling isolated.
“We haven’t actually had a fine yet, but our family used to come and visit on a regular basis but we are now frightened to have them round because of what has been going on,” he said.
“There are 27 bays and 38 flats, so we are already 11 bays short.
“It’s inevitable that somebody has to park in the road. It has always been that way.
“When we first moved here it was over-55s only, so there were a lot of elderly people who didn’t have cars, so there was never a problem.
“But now they changed the rules so anybody can live here - so there are people with two or three cars and work vans.
“Sometimes there are no bays to park in, so you have to use the road - but now you’re not allowed to, so the situation isn’t very satisfactory.”
A Clarion spokesperson says parking enforcement was introduced to “prevent non-residents using the car park in order to visit the high street”.
They added: “When this happened, we wrote to residents to let them know how they can register their vehicle for a permit, as well as a permit for any visitors.
“We are putting a temporary pause on parking enforcement here and will speak to residents to ensure they are aware of how to apply for a permit for themselves and/or for visitors, and whether they need any support in doing so.
“Following this, we will continue to monitor how the situation is working, and will consult with residents to check if they still wish to have parking control.”
The Mirror has contacted National Parking Enforcement Ltd for comment.
