More than 18 months on, very little has changed for neighbours grappling with parking problems on an Ipswich estate.
In May 2022, the Ipswich Star visited the Crest Nicholson estate off Woodbridge Road in the St Margaret’s area of Ipswich, after being contacted by frustrated residents.
The majority of the roads making up the estate were not adopted by the local authority. This meant that drivers were routinely parking over yellow lines, as parking restrictions were not being enforced.
This made the roads difficult to navigate, while the pathways had become narrow and sometimes unusable, neighbours have said
At the time, Suffolk County Council confirmed that Bramley Hill had been adopted, and so restrictions were enforced here.
However, Braeburn Close, Meridian Rise, Discovery Drive, Ellisons Crescent, Russet Road and Tydeman Close were not adopted.
The council confirmed that this is still the case.
“There has never been enough parking,” said one resident of Meridian Rise. “The estate was beautiful when we moved in, with the nature reserve just down the road, with ducks and newts.
“We pay a horrendous amount of money to the housing company, but I can’t see what it gets spent on.”
She also said she had concerns about emergency vehicles such as fire crews being able to navigate the roads at peak times, such as the evenings when everyone had returned from work.
Meanwhile, she said that people parking over the pavements meant that the paths were too narrow for parents with pushchairs and young children to walk along safely.
Another resident said that there had been times when emergency vehicles struggling to access homes, but that she felt residents had taken note of this and were now parking more considerately.
Another resident said that, while she did not drive, as a pedestrian she had grown so used to people parking over double yellow lines that she no longer noticed it.
Ipswich Borough Council explained that, in order for the authority to enforce restrictions, Crest Nicholson would first need to grant permission to Suffolk County Council to make a Traffic Regulation Order.
Crest Nicholson would then need to give the borough permission to enforce restrictions.
A Crest Nicholson spokesman said: “We are working closely with the Suffolk County Council’s highways team to complete any outstanding works required on the unadopted roads at the Hayhill site and are committed to ensuring these roads can be adopted in due course.”
Inga Lockington is a Liberal Democrat councillor representing the the St Margaret’s ward for Ipswich Borough Councillor and the St Margaret’s and Westgate division for Suffolk County Council.
She confirmed that parking difficulties have been ongoing at the estate for a number of years.
“There has never been enough parking,” she said.
She explained that a pre-consultation with residents regarding the adoption of road had been held in the autumn, but she had been given no further details about when a full consultation would be taking place.
“I wish residents all the best, because there needs to be a good solution for them,” she said.
“Whatever that solution is, it needs to be the best possible one for the residents.”
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