Council rejects move to drop overnight parking at John Jenkins stadium
“Everyone in Baffins knows that parking is a problem.”
A bid to scrap plans to provide overnight parking for local residents at the John Jenkins Stadium has failed – despite the charity which runs the site saying it cannot afford to provide it.
Portsmouth City Council’s planning committee has refused an application to remove the provision of overnight resident parking at the site. The parking was a condition previously tied to the redevelopment of the Moneyfield Avenue site in Baffins requiring 80 spaces to be available for residents overnight.
A report said the charity Pompey in the Community (PITC), which runs the site, cannot afford the scheme, estimated to cost around £200,000 plus ongoing expenses for measures such as ANPR cameras, barriers and monitoring.
PITC said meeting the condition would come “at the expense of the clubhouse not being finished” and reduce the amount of community work it can deliver across the city.
Residents objected to the application, saying “it feels like a promise has been broken”, especially as the stadium itself contributes to parking pressure.
Local ward councillor Darren Sanders said: “Everyone in Baffins knows that parking is a problem.”
He said there are “many ways you can deal with this” without having an overnight parking free-for-all.
He suggested a scheme where only permit-holders can access the car park on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cllr Leonie Oliver estimated that there are eight to nine thousand cars in Baffins, with only around 6,000 to 7,500 parking spaces.
“What does that look like in practice? I means coming home in the evening and not knowing if you’ll be able to park anywhere near your home.”
She added that some residents can spend up to 40 minutes looking for a parking space, feeling “exhausted, frustrated and anxious”.
Cllr Abdul Kadir said parking problems in Baffins are “major” and “anything that can reduce it would be welcome”.
He read out a comment from a local resident who “witnessed multiple vehicles driving around looking and eventually parking on a double yellow lines”.
Planning officers said it was reasonable to accept the £200,000 figure as accurate, but suggested refusal so that potentially cheaper options could be explored between the council and PITC.
A previous bid to change the condition was also turned down by councillors in 2024.