Road Closure / Parking Advice Needed!

GILL635

Hi Guys

I'm hoping some clever person out there will be able to help me with a little issue I have just discovered I have.

The area of the town where I live is built on a one way system. Its kind of its own little village, with only 1 main road in and out. Its an old terraced estate, and wasn't built for the kind of traffic it now houses, and with the one way system in place parking is already a problem as there are far too many cars, and not enough space.

I have come home from work late tonight, to find a letter has been put through my door from a production company. It appears that next weekend, they are making a film based here and are closing the main road in and out as well as several roads connecting to it. This means that I am basically blocked in from 06:00am Sunday morning, until around 22.00pm Sunday night. My first question, is are the council allowed to authorize this without asking the residents consent ?

The second problem, is that the film is set in the 90's and they want any cars that were not from this period to be moved and parked elsewhere from the Saturday night to ''aid filming''.

There is literally nowhere that I or anyone else will be able to park.

To add to this, I work shifts and will only be arriving home after 11pm Saturday night. The estate that I live in is not in the greatest of areas, and I object to being expected to park miles away from my house.

I clearly see it as a safety issue. The area leading to the estate is a mix of industrial and woodland, and the surrounding area is part of the Trans Pennine trail - in other words, it is pretty dark. Add to this all the local drunks that are usually already scrapping outside the pubs on the estate, I do not feel safe as a single woman walking the streets to get to my house at that time of night. I also have a condition with my back that causes me a lot of pain - although this varies from day to day, if I am having a bad day with it walking any sort of distance is the last thing I want to be doing.

The letter does not state that I am legally obliged to park elsewhere. I pay my road tax, and my council tax and according to my car insurance policy - when at home the vehicle is parked outside my house.

I am going to try to contact someone at the council tomorrow, but I wanted to try and get some kind of back-up as to whether or not legally, they can force me to move my car.

As I stated earlier, this is the first that any of us have heard of this filming, the council has not been in touch to advise us of the request or to gain any feedback as to whether or not we should co-operate.

I am happy to answer any questions you all may have if more information is needed, but I'm hoping that someone can either provide me with advice or can point me in the right direction.

Thanks in Advance

Gill xx

whitewing

I would have thought you'd be compensated for any inconvenience as part of the filming. Ring the council and see what they have to say.

GILL635

I'm going to see if I can get hold of them tomorrow at the drop in place.

There's no compensation offered, but to be honest its not about that. For me its about my safety with it being so late at night that I am getting home from work

x

whitewing

I mean more that they may pay for your taxi or any expenses that you have incurred as a result of filming.

I'm only thinking really that a few years (decades) ago when stuff was filmed near us, local people were extras and paid a considerable amount for that, and I assume anyone who was inconvenienced was also paid something.

GILL635

Possibly, although because they are closing around 80% of the main road in (its actually the only road into the estate), I don't even know how a taxi would get in.

Worth thinking about though, thank you

xx

colino

When they shut off the middle of Glasgow recently for two Hollywood productions the local authority PR department raved about the revenue generated for the city and that was it. You really couldn't carry out business as normal and the only compensation was seeing Halle Berry in the flesh.

GILL635

HHHmmm unfortunately, she doesnt do anything for me, I prefer my men to be male lol!

Anyone else offer any advice at all ?

I have spoken to some of the neighbours this morning, and they are of the same mindset as myself - our cars will not be moved. I just wanted to know if anyone could offer any legal clarification before I go into the council on Monday

xx

Norman_Castle

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/WhereYouLive/StreetsParkingCleaningAndLighting/DG_10028508

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/WhereYouLive/RoadsAndStreets/DG_10026093