Knowing in advance the best way to deal with this parking issue?

Hovite_2

You could also check with the local planning department to see if there are any planning conditions on the use of the car park. Even if there aren't it will be worth telling them it's changing from a free car park to a paid one - the pubs business rates might well be affected.

Blues_skies

Thank you all. The school have had meetings with two of the duty managers (as suggested, this seems to be a manager pub not a landlord one) and on both occasions they've been told that there will be no change on the decision.

I've located a recruitment advertisement for a parking enforcement officer for this immediate area with times given as 'hours between' 8.30 am to 3.30pm working for this particular company. The advert is for 20 hours a week (so diving out that 20 hours, they would indeed be targeting the school parents with an hour at the start and end of every school day).

The school has said they are happy for me to air any parental concerns I feel may help.

With regards to alternative parking, there is literally nowhere else. Outside the cul-de-sac is a short narrow road with double yellows on both sides. One way leads to a newish housing estate, with driveways all along the road. The road is narrow. Parking on the double yellows would indeed cause an obstruction and totally pee off the residents living there. The other direction is a busy roundabout, busy petrol station and two very busy roads. Even if you managed to park that way, you'd face crossing the roads with children in tow, and that's after fighting for a space which inevitably is going to be further and further away from school. I am under the cosh to get to work on time as it is and only just scrape in, so that's going to make it even more troublesome.

I will contact the paper today.....

Herzlos

Know anyone who could do the job for a few weeks before getting fired for not issuing any tickets?

Maybe arrange some kind of drop-off scheme where someone waits for the children, but the cars are never really parked so can't be ticketed?

It definitely sounds like it's set up to get money from the school though.

What about arranging some deal with the parking company regarding school passes for a significant discount? I.e. weekly use for school drop off's for £1. When they refuse it makes you look more reasonable and them more unreasonable when the press run with it. If they accept it then you're sorted

Hovite_2

Blues_skies wrote: »

Thank you all. The school have had meetings with two of the duty managers (as suggested, this seems to be a manager pub not a landlord one) and on both occasions they've been told that there will be no change on the decision.

I've located a recruitment advertisement for a parking enforcement officer for this immediate area with times given as 'hours between' 8.30 am to 3.30pm working for this particular company. The advert is for 20 hours a week (so diving out that 20 hours, they would indeed be targeting the school parents with an hour at the start and end of every school day).

The school has said they are happy for me to air any parental concerns I feel may help.

With regards to alternative parking, there is literally nowhere else. Outside the cul-de-sac is a short narrow road with double yellows on both sides. One way leads to a newish housing estate, with driveways all along the road. The road is narrow. Parking on the double yellows would indeed cause an obstruction and totally pee off the residents living there. The other direction is a busy roundabout, busy petrol station and two very busy roads. Even if you managed to park that way, you'd face crossing the roads with children in tow, and that's after fighting for a space which inevitably is going to be further and further away from school. I am under the cosh to get to work on time as it is and only just scrape in, so that's going to make it even more troublesome.

I will contact the paper today.....

Do contact the council as well.

Given the gloves are off you might want to see if the company that owns the pub has a Facebook page

bazster

The cynicism of this is breathtaking.

The_Slithy_Tove

Hovite wrote: »

Do contact the council as well.

In fact, contact the council's planning department. If they want to make it a pay car park (rather than a free one), they may well need planning permission to do so. Furthermore, the pub will probably need to pay business rates on the car park if they (or some PPC) is going to make money from its use. Letting the council's rating department know of the pub's plans, and the implications for business rates, may put the cat amongst the pigeons.

JimmyTheWig

Herzlos wrote: »

Know anyone who could do the job for a few weeks before getting fired for not issuing any tickets?

A great idea.
You could have some sort of rota.
15 parents each lasting two weeks would take up a whole school year.

What about arranging some deal with the parking company regarding school passes for a significant discount? I.e. weekly use for school drop off's for £1. When they refuse it makes you look more reasonable and them more unreasonable when the press run with it. If they accept it then you're sorted

I was going to suggest something like this. I mean, it is their land after all. I don't think there is much scope in appealing to their better nature to do the right thing.
I think you either need to show them that by stopping you parking there they will lose business (e.g. over the next week or two can you collect up receipts from the pub from school families and friends who say they will stop going there if they fine any parents) or you need to pay for the use of their land.
A week's parking for pick-ups/drop-offs probably amounts to the same time spent there as for a trip to the pub, so £1 for this is reasonable.
And of course you could still ask that they refund _this_ £1 when you spend £5 in the pub at some point that week.

bazster

Gotta hit them in the pocket. Local campaign, get the pub boycotted.

Blues_skies

Thanks again.

There has been planning permission applied for. Just outside the pub, on a lamppost is a council planning consent laminated sign. The sign was turned to face the hedge and had slipped down, so until we looked for it this morning no one else had even noticed it. It was an application for 'change of use' I think. So they have followed protocol there.

Also am thinking too that its unfair that you can't pay in incremental slots I.e. 15, 30, 45, 60, 120 minutes etc. if they wavered the morning slot when the pub isn't even open and allowed 15 minutes for 25p in the afternoon, it would be much fairer on both sides. By charging a minimum of an hour its clear they aren't even trying to see our side. Will be pointing this out to the paper too!

fisherjim

I used to work in the brewing industry, and the larger brewers no longer run pubs, it's mainly regional brewers that do.

The majority of the old brewery owned managed and tenancy pubs now belong to large pub companies that believe me are only interested in profit, and this is being squeezed all the time.

So, they come up with all manner of schemes, dodges and short-cuts to make or save money, and believe me some of them are almost as bad as PPC's in their attitude.

You are unlikely to get any sympathy from them over this, in fact, as stated it looks like it has been set up to target the "school run" specifically