Parish Council right to erect no parking signs for road next to village green

LavenderBees

Hello, my Lovelies

I am hoping for a steer in the right direction for a problem that has arisen in my village. I just got back from work to find a No Parking Sign has been erected on the Village Green - it says No Parking on Village Green. Residents Require access to properties at all times. I am a resident further down the road who has nowhere else to park. I have parked on the road adjacent to the village green for 17 nearly 18 yrs. Parking is sometimes a bone of contention because people dropping off children in the local school do park irresponsibly at times.

There are properties with long drives that open onto the road adjacent to the village green - Some of these residents have been vocal about not being able to get their cars out but in all honesty when I have gone to check, there really hasn't been any access or egress problem for any competent driver. These vocal residents often park their own cars (they have at least 4 vehicles) adjacent to the village green and obviously also have visitors, as do other residences and as do I. 

Clearly, these more vocal residents have persuaded the parish council to erect a sign. I've ignored it tonight as frankly I have nowhere else to park and I am not blocking any driveway, am not even close to blocking any driveway.

So. my question is really, where do I start to be able to investigate and potentially challenge the legality of this signage?  Do I risk a fine in the meantime?

I am more than a little fed up of being the better person in all of this. Even though my car has NEVER blocked a drive or caused problems for a competent driver, I have moved my car to keep the peace in the past. It's possibly time to get badass, or perhaps the time to get badass has passed and I have to suck it up?  I can't afford fines. I believe the road is unadopted, No one takes responsibility for repairing the potholes (put it that way). The village green is known as "Common land" in the village. No one parks on the village green itself. Just on the road adjacent to it.

Thanks so much for any help anyone may be able to give.

Drummonds Cl, Longhorsley, England | Instant Street View





    

Martin_the_Unjust

So it’s a private (unadopted) road which you have been parking on free of charge without paying anything for the upkeep of the road for 17 years?

Plus they get school traffic?

No wonder the owners of it have put up ‘no parking’ signs.

unforeseen

If it is a public highway then I doubt a parish Council have the authority to enforce it

Umkomaas

Google Street View please?

sevenhills

As a parish councilor myself, since May, so not very long. Parish Councils have very few legal duties, allotments being just about the only one.

Anything in my local area in relation to parking, would be the responsibility of the City Council.

Write to the city council?

LavenderBees

Sorry, Guys, I can't find any reply button to respond individually - I've managed to cobble together a street view and put the link on my original post. No one "owns" the road as far as I know. I don't know what defines a public highway, especially in a little village that is full of idiosyncracies like common land. It's simply a small road that goes round the village green where people have parked for many decades.  There's no through road to the school on the side that is now "No Parking". That through road is at the top of the village green. I am pretty sure it's been the Parish Council erecting the sign but have messaged one of the Parish Councillors to ask for a chat about it 

theoretica

If the sign says no parking on the village green, but you want to park on the road next to the village green - and not on the green itself - is there a problem?

LavenderBees

Nobody has ever parked on the village green though there are chains and bollards which would prevent that anyway. I have had another look at the sign and it says "No Parking - Village Green Land. Residents require access to properties at all times"  I am guessing they are classing the little road adjacent  to the village green as village green land. Apparently, the school pickup crowd ignored it this afternoon. One of the nicer residents in that row has just told me she knows nothing about it and has no problem with people parking there. Her partner often parks there. But the vocal complainers may just have all caused themselves a problem as part of their front gardens are village green land so, in theory, no more parking for them either. The whole thing is bizarre. I'll nab the parish councillor and see what's what and go from there, I think.   

Coupon-mad

A photo of a sign would be good.  If there's no Traffic Order then there are no restrictions.

LavenderBees

Thank you! I have attached a photo of the sign to my original post and also a longer shot to show where I am parked. As I came in the bottom of the village green road, I didn't actually see the sign post  it is closer to the top of the village green opposite  one person's drive. My neighbour is guessing this means that it's just that one small part that is restricted but I have doubts all round. How would I find out if there is a Traffic Order, please?

Boat_to_Bolivia

That looks more like a request not to park there rather than anything else.

Makes no mention of what will happen if you do?

Are you sure it isn't the troublesome neighbour who has put that up or perhaps the neighbour whose drive it faces?