Botany Bay residents’ petition for end to parking chaos delivered to Thanet council

Delivering the petition

A petition has been delivered to Thanet council by residents who want an end to the traffic and parking chaos in Botany Bay.

Following a public meeting last Summer, attended by around 200 angry residents, a group from affected streets got together to consult with Thanet District Council and relevant agencies. The aim was to find a solution that would ease the traffic and parking blight suffered by residents in a way that would be acceptable to a majority of people living in the area. They then took the proposal for a solution to fellow residents so they could have their say.

Of around 600 addresses around 80 % support a resident parking scheme. The petition was delivered yesterday (August 20).

Group spokesman Alan Munns said: “ It was a challenge under lockdown conditions to be able to speak to so many neighbours, but there’s a real determination among everyone to find a solution to the parking madness.

“The TDC scheme is normally designed for town centres near busy shopping centres. We sincerely hope that Thanet and KCC will see sense and listen to residents’ concerns with a residents’ parking scheme that suits a seaside community with large seasonal visitor numbers.”

Photo Frank Leppard

Residents have complained of physical and verbal abuse from drivers jostling to park as close to the beach as possible.

Alan says cars regularly park across driveways blocking residents in, block access for emergency vehicles and visitors even urinate and defecate in people’s gardens.

Proposals suggest a one hour time limit for visitor parking. Overstaying that limit could result in a £70 Fixed Penalty Notice.

Resident parking permits would cost around £74 per year. Blue badge owners could park without a permit as long as the badge is displayed in the car window.

Thanet council has stepped up enforcement in the area with both its own officers and a private security firm.

Alan said: “The community has had an opportunity to make its voice heard. We just hope KCC and TDC are listening and will finally act to alleviate the problems.”

34 Comments

  1. Any fines are only as good as the enforcement.

    In Westbay in Westgate, TDC finally installed signs 2 days ago, warning against people sleeping in camper vans overnight. Last night people did just that, a few feet from a sign, even openly having breakfast.

  2. TDC do not employ enough staff to cover every area, if they had seasonal officers working in known hot spots to fine anyone leaving vehicles blocking driveways in use, parking on pavements, promenades and street corners it might help fill the council coffers and stop people parking all over the place.
    If Canterbury Council can manage it in Whitstable and Herne Bay then so can Thanet Council. We seem to have a very weak willed council in Thanet that would just rather leave it all to chance. Reactive rather than proactive year after year!

  3. Some people will always be selfish and ignore any regulations!.As long as their enjoying themselves no body else matters.

  4. I am a actual resident of botany bay/ palm bay. The parking has been really bad since the end of lockdown. I have had used baby wipes and PPE left in my front garden.I have to often inform people the bus it not running due to inconsiderate parking. Many of these people are elderly residents. The rubbish left on the beach is discusting. I can often see many visitors from my kitchen window having a pee or poo in the bushes. I haven’t used the beach all summer despite living right near it. The visitors are not from this area and many vehicles are rented by London companies. Nothing has been open here so the visitors have brought nothing to thanet’s economy apart from rubbish. This amazing beach has changed in the last ten years. £74 a year is a small price to pay to get my sanity back and be able to feel safe when I go out.

  5. Why penalize residents with permits to which they have to pay. Should be visitors of the neighbours only or family. But there must be way to stop it. Put signs up resident only parking.

      • Peter, a third of Thanet’s fines were issued in botany bay in one weekend and Botany Bay only has about 30 yards of enforceable restrictions, currently, the council are enforcing as best they can but their hands are tied currently.

  6. My experience is that residents’ parking permits just push the problem a few hundred yards away. People will still rock up and then park just that little bit further away which will then hack off those residents.

    Unless they make the whole of Kingsgate and Palm Bay residents parking only and get TDC to carry out regular enforcement I’m not sure this is going to solve the problem.

    • Thanetian Blind, most of Kingsgate already has permit parking.

      This petition covers over 600 houses math dictates that this covers more streets than just Botany Road.

  7. I live in percy ave and are opposed to the permits.. I feel there have been better alternatives put forward, around car parking down the front, yellow lines and The recent Thanet way sign informing visitors of the capacity at botany. I feel my visitors will be penalised, Carers and nursing staff will fall victims to fines.. it will not stop traffic coming to the area and irresponsible parking, which is the issue (I don’t mind people visiting- I actually like to see people enjoying themselves) When a campaigner came to the house to discuss this issue, I Think we need to be careful as we are not well informed enough- there seems the alternatives to this, however they have not been articulated well as they don’t support everyone’s agenda, this is not the only option. I will basically be handing over £75 a year, per household car- to TDC to achieve what exactly? It won’t be enforced, it won’t stop congestion and it won’t stop people parking on yellow lines/ near corner of roads etc(the fine is in line with a BCP in Brighton) and your still not guaranteed a space.

  8. Need No Overnight Camping signs on Palm Bay Ave in Cliftonville.Mentioned to TDC several times but no action taken so far|

  9. No scheme is perfect, but doing nothing is not an option. I am entirely in favour of this idea and hope the scheme will be implemented as soon as possible. The money raised from fines etc should go towards the cost of enforcement. Let’s get this phase up and running and if problems arise elsewhere then support those who may be inconvenienced in getting the scheme extended.

  10. Very unfair on those homes without driveways such as most of Percy Ave, for a few sunny days a year. why should those unable to park on their property pay for this just because a few residents who won’t be out of pocket don’t want visitors to park safely on the road. There will always be odd incidents of unreasonable parking but the wardens can ticket those. Kingsgate Ave started this, pushing the problem out to other roads and a few park their visitors in Percy rather than get a second permit. That will happen again, day visitors will be forced into other streets. There are many against this scheme. It is a very undemocratic way of getting a petition seen as many homes were not contacted, and the parking group themselves collated the numbers for and against.

    • I’m sure you are not implying that the numbers have been ‘rigged’ but, if so, on what basis are you making that claim? As I understand it every form completed by each household was in the box presented to TDC (and seen in the pictures) so they (TDC) can check the veracity of the numbers

  11. Why should you have to pay to park at your own property. Money raised by this won’t go to any good cause, and you will have same problem. Also you will see that you will be fined for parking more so then visitors, as tdc always have and continue to treat residents as a cash flow and visitors get away with it. The only way is gate the roads and free passes for residents at no cost to them. Other then that nothing will change. Just like the travellers, easier to let them do as they please and tdc gets back cost at tax payer’s expense, good luck to you all

    • No one has a “right” to park outside their property. Even if a Residents’ scheme is introduced, it only permits you to park in that zone.
      You can’t gate the road, either. It’s a public highway, paid for out of public funds.
      Be part of the solution, not the problem: get rid of your car.

  12. Many people have give up their time to try and come up with a solution to this parking situation. Many residents have given up their own time to collect the votes. Every resident had a chance to put any comments This was the only solution TDC are likely to accept. Putting up signs and enforcement costs money. If you live near any place that becomes popular like a train station for instance you have to have some parking restrictions otherwise you would never get to park outside your house. Most councils fund this by having a parking permit system. Lots of people have ideas but this is the only one I have actually seen people do something about it.

  13. Simple solution, TDC should contract a clamping company who will charge the offending motorists at £100 to have their car released. TDC takes an agreed percentage which would pay for the proposed Resident Parking scheme. Any takers.???

  14. As far as I know a residents parking scheme won’t be able to do anything to stop people from parking on the grass verges that are next to the bays. Council would need to put barriers up along the inside of the bays to stop the cars parking on the path/verges instead of the bays where there is a time limit. I hope that someone else has considered this especially before any decisions are made. The beach visitors will try to find ways around getting fined even if it means parking in stupid places

    • But then, if nothing is done, nothing is achieved! If the income from fines can fund increased enforcement then problems will decrease. No one single solution solves everything, but doing nothing is the worst option

    • Put double yellow lines all the way down and you could get 100 quid a,day from the rich Londoners;) it’s big business at sports/music venues !.

      Or turn the some of the area to the left of botany road into a car park, but I guess the greens wont like that.

      If thanet wants tourists it needs beach parking.

      • Yep, that would work. But you need to have a local authority with some vision plus a few Bob. Unfortunately we don’t have either. It would make sense to put parking spaces, a cafe, toilets, somewhere for our visitors to use their heavy wallets. Wait a minute, surely that’s what practically every seaside resort would have as standard. But, like I say, this is TDC, no vision, no dosh. No chance.!!!

      • Single yellow lines would be better. All the way down each side running 8am to 6pm everyday. Then residents could park on them evenings and overnight and wouldn’t cost them a penny. Of course wouldn’t solve the day time problem of where residents can park but still better than your double yellow line solution. I’d rather pay the 70quid to be honest and be able to park locally 24 hours a day but no perfect solution will ever be available. I quite like the clamping idea that someone suggested why aren’t TDC doing this has anyone asked them?

    • The current yellow lines are heavily enforced their just aren’t a lot of them down here. The council always sends a parking warden or 2 down when it’s a busy day.

  15. This just demonstrates the failure of previous governments to improve public transport so that people don’t automatically 1)think they really need a car 2)0buy a car 3) use it whenever they can to the detriment of urban and natural environments.

    The current government makes nice noises about going green but their actual behaviour
    ( e.g.HS2, DCO for RSP, lots of road-building) proves that nothing will change. Where is the legislation saying that all new buildings must have solar panels, for instance? That all new developments must have integrated public transport routes and cycle paths?

  16. I am planning to visit Botany Bay from London and will be driving. After reading these comments I wouldn’t want where I’ve parked to inconvenience anyone. Could you suggest a car park or another parking area for me to use and how long of a walk that would be to the beach please. I can’t seem to find this information anywhere else.

    • Go to Joss bay. Next two beaches along from botany. Ample parking £5 a day and better facilities. Have a great day.

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