Residents and retailers have spotted notices in Sydenham Road stating that soon you will have to pay to park in the high street.

The plan is to turn the parking bays - that are currently free the first 40 minutes into paid-for spaces. The cost will be at £1 for 30 minutes only payable via a smartphone. The plan is due to start on March 31st and will be borough-wide. Locally this will affect Sydenham Road, Sydenham Station Approach, Kirkdale, Lower Sydenham down to Bell Green and many side roads.

 

We strongly object to this plan as it will have a devastating effect. We are asking traders to write to Brenda Dacres, the Mayor of Lewisham at the following email address:
brenda.dacres@lewisham.gov.uk 

 

We are fully aware that Lewisham Borough like all UK local authorities are suffering financially at the moment. They desperately need more cash. But undermining our high streets is not how to go about it.

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HIGH STREET PARKING CHARGES PUT ON HOLD

The last Lewisham Mayor & Cabinet meeting passed a scheme to impose charges on all high street parking bays in the borough.

The plan was to turn parking bays - where you can currently park for 40 minutes for free - into paid-for spaces. The cost would have been £1 for 30 minutes only payable via a smartphone. The plan was due to start on March 31st and was intended to be borough-wide. Locally this would have affected Sydenham Road, Sydenham Station Approach, Kirkdale, Lower Sydenham down to Bell Green and many side roads. The Sydenham Society objected strongly to this plan which would have had a devastating effect on Sydenham Road  and Kirkdale - as well as other local shopping centres throughout Lewisham.  We asked residents to write to Brenda Dacres, the Mayor of Lewisham to object to the plan.

 

SUCCESS. THE SCHEME HAS BEEN HALTED FOR A REVIEW... 

Here is he response received:

Thank you for your email to Mayor Brenda Dacres sharing your views on the proposed parking changes in the Borough. 
 
We greatly value the opinion of all of our residents and have considered carefully all of the responses we have received. We have not made any decisions on the proposals at this point. We are undertaking a review of the use of these parking bays in order to gather further insights before making any decision. This will help ensure we have a clear understanding of the situation for residents and traders before we consider any changes to the current system, if required. 
 
We are committed to supporting our high streets and ensuring they remain thriving and vibrant places for our communities and residents.