Families have finally moved into the trouble-plagued £500 million Perry Barr flats scheme – to find they cannot park nearby.
It’s the latest issue to dog the controversial project, which is set to make an estimated £150 million loss and leave taxpayers with an £8million-a-year bill for an astonishing 40 years.
A hard-hitting report earlier this year savaged Birmingham City Council over the project, which replaced the former Birmingham City University campus with housing initially intended to have been the 2022 Commonwealth Games athletes’ village.
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That deadline came and went and the flat blocks stood empty until recent weeks, next to a still-unfinished ‘Box Park’-style development promised a part of the area’s Games-related regeneration.
Now the first residents have moved in – but some say they cannot park nearby. The council is now scrambling to find suitable space.
The issue affects council tenants being housed by the authority, who do not have access to underground parking.
The council said the development was built with a “reduced number of car parking spaces” because of the area’s “good connectivity” and “excellent access to public transport”. It insisted residents had been well aware of the parking rules.
But a single mum said she had been hit with three £60 fines, saying she had “no choice” but to park on double yellow lines – including two occasions when her young daughter was unwell.
The 36-year-old mother-of-two, who fled her previous home because of domestic abuse, said: “The apartment is really nice, I’m very lucky. But the parking is a nightmare.
“We can’t park underneath, we can’t park on site, and we can’t park outside. There are yellow lines everywhere outside the Perry Barr village. There’s no parking anywhere.”
She said she was concerned her former husband would see her car parked up outside the village, revealing their location.
She said: “Give us some land where we can park or let us park outside our block.
“I’m not asking for much, I’m so grateful for my apartment, I just want to be able to park outside.
A general view of Perry Barr Village -Credit:Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live
“Everyone is annoyed. Everyone is just parking everywhere, ten, 15 minutes away, but for people who have kids it’s especially difficult.”
The nearby One Stop shopping centre allow four hours parking, but the mum added: “I can’t keep moving my car, even then there is nowhere to move it to.
“It’s stressful because I’m on my own, I’m a single mother, I can’t ask anyone for help.”
One two occasions, she said she risked fines on double yellow lines as her four-year-old daughter was unwell.
She’s been fined three times for parking outside her own property on double yellow lines -Credit:Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live
“She vomited all over her clothes, I had to park up, she was soaked in sick, my other was about to cross the road and I had to shout her back to stop her going into the road.
“I had my shopping, it was an absolute nightmare. I even said I would rent out an underground space, I said ‘please just let me’. They said they were for people who bought the apartments,” she explained.
“There’s a lot of empty land where we could park, a lot of space – but there’s restrictions in place.”
The mum, who had been bidding for two years for a property with the council, knew there was no parking at the property when she signed the tenancy agreement.
But she said she was unaware there were no usable spaces within a 15-minute walking distance.
“I was told ‘if you don’t take this offer, we’re going to put you in band D’; it’s really difficult to get housing. I had no choice,” she explained.
One of the bedrooms inside the property -Credit:Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live
“Now if you even park one minute over, I’ll get a fine. I just want someone to take us seriously.”
What Birmingham City Council said
The development was originally built with a “reduced number of car parking spaces” because of the area’s “good connectivity” and “excellent access to public transport.”
A spokesperson said: “The Perry Barr development was designed and built with a reduced number of car parking spaces because of the good connectivity within the area and the excellent access to public transport.
“For residents that live on the development, all rented properties were advertised without parking, with the message being reinforced at viewing, lettings and tenancy sign-up stage.
“Additionally, the agreement signed by tenants stipulates that parking on site may result in a breach of their tenancy agreement.
“The limited parking provision available on site is reserved for blue badge holders and L&G shared ownership properties.
“For council tenants, there is a Choice Based Lettings System where residents make the decision to bid on advertised properties and are given information on relevant criteria such as parking when they choose to bid.
“It is important to note that there are no designated parking spaces for each home on the development and the Council and L&G have been transparent about this with residents throughout.
“To prevent parking misuse and maintain a car free site for safety and service access without obstruction an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system is now in operation.”
Outside the Perry Barr Village flats -Credit:Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live
The council said it was “aware of reported issues” where streets were being “overused” to make up for the fact parking was not available on site.
“A combined effort across highways, housing management and housing development is underway to identify potential sites that might alleviate this and provide an increased level of parking provision,” they added.
“However, it is important to note there won’t be designated parking spaces for each home because of specific planning conditions and because of the physical space on the development. The Council and L&G have been transparent about this with residents throughout.”
Have you been affected by this or a similar issue? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com