The owner of a flat in the New Mill Quarter development in Hackbridge says he is disappointed with developers and Sutton Council as there is “nowhere nearby” for residents to park.

Nick Thompson, 26, owns a one-bed flat in Poplin House at the New Mill Quarter block in Hackbridge.

When he first moved into the property in 2020, he says he was informed by the property agency that parking spaces for the building were only available to visitors or owners of two-bed flats.

This was no issue for Nick, as he did not own a car, and claims there were “plenty” of spaces to park alongside the side streets if he ever bought one.

During lockdown, Nick did buy a car and parked it on the side street close to his flat.

Soon after, Nick received a notice from Sutton Council saying it was changing the rules and residents were no longer able to park along the side roads.

Sutton Council says the roads at New Mill Quarter are “privately-managed”, so residents are “not eligible” to apply for Council parking permits for nearby roads.

Your Local Guardian: Permit sign near residential building (image: Nick)Permit sign near residential building (image: Nick)

Nick claims he now has “no place close” to park, saying the nearest location is a 15 minute walk away in another residential area.

Nick explained: “The notice from the Council stated that members of the public were no longer able to park on the side streets around Hackbridge.

“The council introduced new restrictions, such as you can’t park between 8am – 6.30pm, but it is in my lease that we’re also not allowed to apply for parking permits.”

A spokesperson from Sutton Council said: “The residents living around Hackbridge railway station have regularly raised concerns about parking issues, even before the New Mill Quarter development was built.

“That's why the Council consulted on the introduction of permit parking schemes.

“These were supported by the majority of residents in the area and introduced in February 2020.

“The roads within the New Mill Quarter development are not public highways and therefore are not available for non-residents to park on.

“During the planning process the developer will have put forward their designs with their parking provision included.

“Because the roads at New Mill Quarter are privately-managed, residents there are not eligible to apply for council parking permits on nearby public highway roads.”

Nick says that he received a £100 parking fine for parking in a visitor’s space on December 29.

He told Your Local Guardian that one-bed flat owners can pay to park in the visitor’s bays for the New Mill Quarter property, but as far as he is aware, they only last for 24 hours.

Your Local Guardian: Empty spaces at New Mill Quarter (images: nick)Empty spaces at New Mill Quarter (images: nick)

Nick added: “You can only apply for 30 visitors permits each year, and they cost £1 per permit – the permits last for only 24 hours.

“The visitors’ spaces are invariably empty and are hardly ever used - so whilst there are plenty of spaces to park, residents are wary of doing so due to the costs of the permits and the fact that so few are offered.

“There is a huge new Lidl in the New Mill Quarter that has loads of space for cars and there is housing development happening behind my flat – but where will everyone park?”

Nick says parking the car far away from his flat can be “concerning” late at night, especially when his partner drives the car and she has to walk home in the dark.

Your Local Guardian: Nick and partner (images: Nick)Nick and partner (images: Nick)

He added: “I have no option but to park my car fifteen minutes away, which most of the time, is outside another person’s property.

“Then there is the risk of a bus coming by clipping it – which has happened to me.

“My girlfriend uses the car and when she has to park far away in the evening, she’s left walking around in the dark.

“I’ve raised this issue for the past year and a half, but no one seems to be helping.”

Nick says he has been in touch with local counsellors and MP’s to see if any parking restrictions would be released close by.

He said: “As I look out my window, I can see more than 10 empty parking spaces – but if I park in these spaces without a ticket, I get a fine.

“People just say ‘we'll look into it, or we'll get back to you’ but everyone seems to sort of pass the buck - no one has suggested anything helpful, and it has become extremely stressful.”

The managing agents for the New Mill Quarter have been approached for comment.