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.
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“We want them to put in metres and parking bays.
“There is business parking but none for shoppers. It’s affecting everyone.”
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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.
