HESTON & District Community Association has agreed changes to the way its car park is managed following a string of complaints about clampers at the site.
A number of motorists have contacted the Chronicle in recent weeks after being hit with fines of up to £250 for parking illegally at the site, in Vicarage Farm Road, Heston.
They criticised the behaviour of clampers, who they claimed were ignoring their own guidelines advertised at the entrance to the car park. One driver accused the firm of ‘daylight robbery’.
Leaders of the community group this week met representatives from NRG Parking Control, the company responsible for monitoring the car park, to discuss concerns about the way complaints were being handled.
Between them they have agreed a number of ‘refinements’ to the way the car park is run.
These include a stricter emphasis on staff maintaining a ‘calmer attitude’, possibly introducing CCTV at the site and recording all calls to NRG’s control room.
The centre car park is only for use by members or those using the building itself, although some neighbouring shops have short-term passes for use by customers.
Signs outside the centre warn anyone else using the 50-space car park faces a £150 release fee, which can rise to £350 if the car is then towed.
However, several motorists have complained to the Chronicle in recent weeks about their treatment by clampers there.
Robert Henderson, who lives in nearby Cranford Lane, claims he used the car park for less than 10 minutes while visiting a nearby shop.
Despite this, he was charged £250 - including a £100 call-out fee for a tow truck, which would have increased to £200 had the truck arrived.
“I accept I was in the wrong to park there but I only left my car for eight minutes and when I returned they were still fixing the second clamp,” said the 58-year-old machine operator. “There was no need to call the tow truck yet they insisted on charging me £250, which is daylight robbery.”
Clampers have been operating at the centre since 2007 after the number of people parking there illegally made it almost impossible for members to find a space.
However, managers of the centre said NRG had only recently assumed management of the car park, for which it receives a ‘nominal’ fee.
In a joint statement, NRG and HDCA said it was important to ensure the car park was available to members using the facilities.
They also raised concerns about the aggressive behaviour of some motorists towards clampers, with police having been called out on at least two occasions in recent months.
“However, certain refinements to the scheme were recommended by the officers of HDCA and these were accepted by the enforcement company,” the statement said. “We are generally hopeful the modified arrangements will be for the benefit of the local community.”
