Parking anger over PKC space invaders
Furious Blairgowrie residents have hit out at council workers who are preventing them parking outside their own homes.
They say Perth and Kinross Council employees regularly flout ‘Residents parking only’ signs in the Croft Court car park, which is next to the PKC housing office and general registry office, as well as the town’s library.
Parking is at a premium for the block of over 20 flats, with only around nine designated spaces in the courtyard area.
Barriers were installed at both the entrance and exit to Croft Court, but residents say this exacerbated the problem and the exit barrier has since been removed, although the entrance barrier still remains with all residents and council staff being issued with a fob.
One fed-up resident complained directly to PKC on Facebook, and drew support from others.
The PA visited Croft Court on what was a “quieter day” to see the issue firsthand.
The flats are a mixture of council and privately-owned properties. Parking poses a particular issue for the elderly, families with young children and those with heavy shopping.
We counted nine designated spaces in the car park and a further 15 on-street parking on nearby Reform Street on the far side.
Georgie Kidd, who was home with his parents, said: “We counted eight cars today that don’t belong to residents.”
Georgie and mum Donna said the designated ‘Keep Clear’ spot to allow access for emergency vehicles or the likes of the bus from the adult resource centre, regularly has a non-resident’s car parked on it.
Georgie said: “The area is full of elderly people. When my gran lived here we had to get a wheelchair because of the parking situation.”
The Kidds say many residents doublepark to quickly offload shopping then phone residents to let one another know if they need out.
They have spotted council cars using the adjacent council-run car park with council permits displayed, and are confused to why all PKC staff cannot do this.
Eighty-four-year-old Margaret Macleod, who bought her home back in 1972, has watched the drama unfold outside her living room window.
She said: “Parking has always been an issue at Croft Court but lately it has been horrendous for all residents.
“I do not drive, I am not in great health and cannot walk far.
“However I am entitled to a space but, in recent times, family members who drive me to and from hospital appointments are having to park on the street opposite the council building meaning it’s difficult for me to get to and from the car.
A spokesperson from PKC said: “The area around Croft Court in Blairgowrie has designated areas where parking is provided for the use of residents only.
“We are aware of ongoing concerns from residents about the availability of parking and are working to address these.
“In response to these concerns we installed a barrier at the entrance and access points. Unfortunately this has recently been vandalised but repair work should be completed shortly.
“Our locality housing team will contact all residents to ask them to provide the registration number of their vehicle(s), to enable us to monitor the situation and ensure only residents are parking in the designated areas.
“Our staff occasionally use the nonresident area to allow them to carry out their duties effectively, although we do our best to keep this to a minimum.“
Blairgowrie and Glens councillor Caroline Shiers said: “It has indeed been a long-running local issue.
“I have raised this again with the housing office in Blairgowrie and hope to meet with them very soon to find a way forward.”