GIPSY HILL BUSINESSES LOSING TRADE – Extra parking restrictions introduced with school building works
Businesses in Gipsy Hill say they are losing customers because of extra parking restrictions introduced after work on building the new Paxton primary school on Woodland Road started.
Dave Llewellyn, tenant licensee of the Railway Bell in Cawnpore Street off Gipsy Hill said the road in which the pub stands had been closed off – but that was not part of the planning process.
As News From Crystal Palace has previously reported, portable cabins had been placed at the Woodland Road end of Cawnpore Street blocking all through traffic.*
“They have put double yellow lines on one side of Cawnpore Street – which also wasn’t part of the plan” says Mr Llewellyn. “Residents of Cawnpore Street have been given keys for a car park opposite – but most of the time they cannot park in there because the contractors are parking in there.”
New double yellow lines have also been painted outside numbers 49 to 59 Gipsy Hill (station side).
Lorries were also causing further problems by ‘stacking’ at the bottom of Gipsy Hill prior to visiting the development site, making it difficult for pedestrians who could not see what traffic was coming.
“It’s not been well thought out.
“From a customer point of view they are finding they are having to park their cars and walk half a mile to get to the pub. “If it’s raining they are just going to say ‘s** it’ – we’re going to go somewhere else.’ “It’s incredibly difficult to park anywhere” he added.
At the Golden Fry fish and chip shop on Gipsy Hill owner Serhad Yidrim told News From Crystal Palace: “Customers have complained they cannot park. “Everywhere there are double yellow lines.”
Gipsy Hill resident Audrey Hammond said lorries had been lining up in Dulwich Wood Avenue and at the bottom of Gipsy Hill.
“They block the road down there so there is just room for one car to go down on the left hand side. “But coming up, there is chaos. “People have to wait so they can pass these gigantic lorries.”
Lorries were going up onto the pavement on the far side of Gipsy Hill to get into Cawnpore Street, added Audrey, local artist who illustrated the book ‘Crystal Palace – Norwood Heights’ and is the founder of the Crystal Palace Triangle Community Association.
Lambeth council have been asked for a comment.
*See: PORTABLE CABINS BLOCK THROUGH TRAFFIC IN CAWNPORE STREET AS NEW SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION STARTS : “The whole pub has been reverberating” – licensee
