Local business leaving cars on residential road

[Sansoo2]

Looking for a bit of advice really... I live on a small residential road near Peckham Rye. A local business has been leaving old, rusty campervans parked on our street for days on end. Takes up parking spaces for people (like me!) who live on our road, plus bit of an eyesore. Not that our street's won prizes for being the prettiest or anything.

I realise that it's a public street, and I wouldn't want residential parking permits, but is there anything that the council can do? Or do I just have to put up with it (as I was told by the manager of the company earlier today).

Thanks.

[duchessofdulwich]

if the vehicles are taxed and insured im not sure there is alot you can do?

[beef]

Oops, posted on the wrong thread! Sorry!

[Willard]

Hindmans Rd or Tyrell Rd by any chance?

[DJKillaQueen]

Yeah as someone says aboove, if the vehicles are legal they can park anywhere they are legally allowed to do so.

[Huguenot]

It's illegal to use roads for commercial storage, so if you had a wealthy patron you could launch a case on them and estate agents. Try Joanna Lumley.

[DJKillaQueen]

It depends if the owner of the vehicles is operating under any kind of licensing. If the owner parks their vehicles on a regular basis, either the local council or the area office of the traffic commissioners, who set operating restrictions on all transport firms - will know if they may be contravening these restrictions. Operators licences are required for commercial vehicles with a plated weight of 3.5tonnes or an unladen weight of 1.5tonnes. To gain a licence an operator has to provide details of where their vehicles will be parked, this is the operating centre. And there are differing lowering limits on the number of vehicles operated as to whether a company needs a licence.

[southside73]

Despite not being able to do anything about it, or perhaps because of not being able to do anyting about it I experience so much frustration on the road I live due to it resembling a parking lot for bloody estate agent mini's and beetle's. They rag these cars which of course they do not own at high speed and at any given moment there are probably no less than 4/5 of them parked, making it that much harder for residents to park.

What you gonna do......?.......nothing

[Sansoo2]

Well, the latest is on a trailer and neither the van nor the trailer display tax discs. The van is also being used as a rubbish tip!

Re the operating licence - depressing that the council might give a licence to a company leaving clapped out and rusty campervans on a residential road. Maybe I'll check into it...

And I feel for you southside73 - that must be really frustrating!

[DJKillaQueen]

If the vehicles aren't taxed then just ring parking enforcement. Southwark are pretty swift at clamping and removing untaxed vehicles.

[ianr]

DVLA handle untaxed vehicles. Local councils deal with abandoned vehicles. Goods vehicle operators licensing is done by VOSA.

[DJKillaQueen]

Nope...southwark will remove untaxed vehicles. They do it every day and pay a contractor to remove untaxed vehicles.

[ianr]

Southwark will on request freely remove residents' unwanted vehicles, regardless of tax status. They will also remove an abandoned vehicle if it meets a number of conditions, including being untaxed. But I can't find any evidence that Southwark will remove a vehicle solely because it is untaxed.

[DJKillaQueen]

Well every tenant for example has as part of the their tenancy agreement that vehicles not displaying a current tax disc will be removed. Community wardens have the power to report vehicles not displaying a current tax disk and you will regularly see vehicles clamped because of this - clamps placed by Southwark Council. They are then usually removed within 24 hours.

[richfish]

A similar problem has occured before though it is probably several years ago now. I recall that it originated with the Garages located in the mews parallel to Barry Road and accessed off Tyrrell Road. Following a complaint/s to the Council the parking of accident damaged cars as it was then improved significantly. Perhaps we could write a residents letter to the Garage raising our concerns about it and asking them to kindly stop doing this, probably cc'd to local Councillors. Happy to contribute/sign if that is the case.

[beebee]

With regards to the campervans being left some are on unattached trailers do these have to have permits at least? The vans and trailers do seem to have spread over the last few months he must be the slowest mechanic ever.

[ayresc]

i live near said problem and its become a problem since the new tenants moved into the commercial premise.

I wouldn't mind but if you look at Google Earth there's significant space to park vehicles on their land yet they park massive (and a mean massive) vehicles on the street, leaving little space to park.

Strictly its not illegal, just a 'little' inconsiderate. His rates will be less than my council tax and only have one car, not 7 battered commercials.

This isn't the only problem with this unit. Prior (2008) they operated 9-5 Mon-Fri and now they open 7 days a week and until late up to 11 and their lights are on until 3AM.

There must be terms to their commercial usage, for opening hours?

[ed_pete]

As an aside, and this needs to be ratified by James B, but I believe the service of removing of untaxed vehicles was going to be dropped by the council as part of their budget cuts.

[Sansoo2]

I've noticed about 10 vans parked on roads in the area today, the trailer has been attached to another van which is taxed. It's now parked on double yellow lines, so I can only hope for one of the Southwark parking camera cars to spot it. When I asked if the vehicles belonged to the company earlier this week, the manager mentioned to me that he pays ?3,000 a yr in business taxes and feels that this gives him the right to park on the roads in the area.

Maybe a letter from the residents copied to the council is the way to go. Especially if it worked last time.

Thanks for all the advice.

[ayresc]

?3000.

That's kind of irrelevant. I think this point is less about 'rights' and more about common courtesy and understanding your neighbours.

I was more than happy with their setup before the change in tennants but now its a bit of a piss take.

Glad you said something as saying nothing is basically assuming that what he's doing is fine.

Just f's me off when you see the space they have on site.

[craigy]

i too live in the immediate area and have noticed the vans littering tyrrell, hindmans and ferris road in the past couple of weeks as well as a horsebox that hasn't moved in about 6 months and one resident in a flat who has about 5 cars parked in the road... not much hope for the residents to find a parking space...

i don't think we are 'covered' by James B though are we are we come under peckham ward or something (sorry not to up on politics)...

[amyw]

just to say that at least 2 of those vans are owned by residents.

[DJKillaQueen]

the manager mentioned to me that he pays ?3,000 a yr in business taxes and feels that this gives him the right to park on the roads in the area

No it doesn't....and you should tell him that. If the vehicles weigh more than 1.5 tonnes he definitely needs an operating licence which defines where the vehicles will be parked. And to put that in context...a ford transit van weighs 2.5 tonnes. A small VW camper van comes in a just under a ton, but most larger motor homes defintely exceed 1.5 tonnes. So if he is parking large vans and camper vans as part of his business then he needs another licence.

Peckham Rye on the Barry Road side IS part of ED ward btw but if you are indeed part of Peckham Rye and Nunhead ward then pm me and I can give you the details of the councillors. Also if you pm me the name and address of the business I'll have a quick look at their business operating licence, just on the off chance (if they are a motor related trade) that it stipulates any conditions with regards to storage of vehicles.

[ayresc]

very helpful, would also be good to know what operating hours come under their terms of business.

[richfish]

I have emailed Cllr Gavin Edwards about it and he said he will look into it. It might be a good idea for others who live in Tyrrell and Hindmans and the other road which I cannot remember the name of, to email him too about it too so that it isn't just one voice. His email address is on the Council's website.