Retailers are furious that five customer parking spaces have been wiped out by an unwanted loading bay.

As reported in the Reading Post in October, the traders in Whitley Street, Katesgrove, say council workers created the bay without any warning.

Small businesses hit by parking restrictions

Now they are demanding the vital parking spaces are returned.

Owners of the businesses handed over a petition at a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s Traffic Management Advisory Panel (TMAP) last Tuesday evening.

Asam Aziz, owner of Express Fitness Gym, was accompanied by about 10 fellow traders who were among 100-plus people to sign the petition.

He told the panel: “The restriction was put there about two months ago without any correspondence with us.

“We weren’t informed in any way there was going to be a lay-by put there and told we can’t park there between 10am and 1pm.

“We don’t understand why it’s been put there. It’s affected our businesses tremendously.”

Mr Aziz said the loading bay has reduced the number of parking spaces from 14 to nine.

He told getreading: “There are quite a few shops and a restricted number of parking spaces and this has made it twice as bad.

“We really need people to be able to park up and jump out of their car, do what they need to and drive off again.”

Katesgrove councillor Rebecca Rye said: “All the shops along there are local independent businesses and therefore deliveries are by their own cars and small vans.

“They don’t have large lorries or juggernauts delivering.

“Unfortunately, a couple of stores have received tickets while they were unloading in the loading bay from their private cars.

“All the shops I have visited are backing this petition as its affecting them. It’s important we protect the livelihood of local small businesses.”

The traders managed to fight off a Tesco Express moving into the parade of shops at the beginning of the year and wondered if the loading bay may have been related to the supermarket’s aspirations.

Simon Beasley, the council’s network manager, said the owners of the properties had requested loading provision in Whitley Street because there had been problems with deliveries happening at the back of the shops in Highgrove Street.

He said TMAP had approved the plans in October 2010 and notices advertising the change were put up in January 2011.

But Mr Aziz said neither he or any of his fellow traders remembered seeing any notices regarding the lay-by.

Cllr Tony Page, Reading’s lead member for transport, said: “The point is this has been through a process some while ago but we are more than happy to review this and you have triggered that review.”

A report responding to the petition will be presented to the TMAP meeting in January 2013.

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