Ilford High Road shopkeepers demand customer parking but more bays not possible, says council
A group of Ilford shopkeepers are threatening to stop paying business rates until Redbridge Council provides customer parking outside their businesses.
A petition with signatures from nine shops in High Road, Ilford has demanded customer parking between Elizabeth Avenue and Francis Street.
There are currently parking bays on only one side of the stretch of road.
Salman Azad, owner of Azad Food Centre, believes the lack of customer parking has had an impact on his sales.
He said: “Cars park outside our shops for a minute and they get a £60 penalty and don’t want to come back.
You may also want to watch:
“We want them to put in metres and parking bays.
“There is business parking but none for shoppers. It’s affecting everyone.”
Most Read
- 1 Sadiq Khan comes to Redbridge ahead of London elections
- 2 Man airlifted to hospital after Gants Hill house fire
- 3 Residents complain their Ilford street now 'full of crime'
- 4 Ricardo Fuller death: Man charged with murder
- 5 Four further arrests in connection with Sven Badzak stabbing
- 6 Loxford and Seven Kings by-election candidates make case for your vote
- 7 Consultation launches on plans to move preschool and open excluded pupils facility at youth centre
- 8 Fire damages Ilford flats
- 9 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer visits Redbridge on campaign trail
But the council has already carried out a study and found pay and display bays could not be added to the road.
A spokesman said: “The location is extremely close to a four-way junction and further bays here would impair the movement of traffic.
“Further up the High Road there are a number of vehicle crossovers, traffic islands and bus stops.”
He added that changing business bays in Francis Street to public use would cause “a number of problems” for nearby businesses.
