Residents furious as Portsmouth car park introduces restrictions

People living on Kingston Road, Buckland, say they are now worried about finding somewhere to park after the nearby car park is being converted into a short stay car park.

Portsmouth City Council is introducing a two-hour limit at Hanway Road car park, with no return within four hours, between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday from July 20. The proposals were consulted on in October last year.

Lorraine Philpot, who has lived on Kingston Road and used the car park for 30 years, said she is worried about having to “run around” each morning looking for a parking space before restrictions are in place.

She said the council told her she could buy a permit for the nearby residents’ parking zone, but she is concerned about having to cross Kingston Road every day.

Ms Philpot recently carried out an informal petition among neighbours, collecting 49 signatures opposing the changes.

Natalie Bennett, who has lived in the area for eight years, said she was unaware of the plans until receiving a letter in recent weeks.

She said the new short-stay restrictions would be “horrendous” as she regularly returns home after the restrictions are lifted, which is when the car park will likely be full.

She said her daily life would be “absolute hell” because she would have to wake up earlier to find a parking space, to avoid parking restrictions, before taking her child to school.

Paul Cripps, a wheelchair user and Blue Badge holder, has a private disabled parking space near his home, but said residents in his building rely on Hanway Road Car Park for additional parking.

He said that while neighbours know his designated space is for him, it is sometimes occupied by other drivers, forcing him to park further from home.

He said he does not feel safe if he has to park on the opposite side of Kingston Road and cross the busy road to get home.

Ellie Shears, who has lived in the area for 15 years, said she sometimes has to park “miles away” and that this is the “first time” parking has become a problem locally.

She said: “My partner can’t drive his car to work at the moment because if we lose the space, so I’m having to use one car to drive him to work, take the kids to school, come back, make sure I’m back by 2pm-3pm because as soon at 4pm comes it’s heaving.”

A Portsmouth City Council spokesperson said: “Improvement works are currently being delivered on Kingston Road as part of Portsmouth’s Bus Service Improvement Plan. The project includes a part‑time bus lane designed to make journeys faster and more reliable.

“Portsmouth now has the best post‑Covid bus recovery of any UK city, with over 1 million bus journeys every month and 41 per cent passenger growth over two years. Improving journey times on Kingston Road is an important part of maintaining that success and getting residents where they need to be across the city.

“To support these improvements, and to replace the parking and loading spaces removed from Kingston Road, we have introduced short‑stay parking at Hanway Road Car Park.

“This ensures nearby businesses continue to have convenient parking for customers and deliveries, and the car park was selected because two others are located very close by, providing daytime parking for residents.

“Short‑stay restrictions operate from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, with a two‑hour limit. Residents can continue to park overnight until 8am, and Blue Badge holders are exempt. The final design reflects feedback received during consultation and balances competing needs.

“A statutory notice was issued before the changes were implemented, giving residents and businesses the opportunity to comment or raise objections. These changes will be monitored and reviewed to ensure they continue to meet local and wider network needs.”