Double yellow lines on Stafford’s Castlefields estate to cause 'chaos'

The plans will mean hundreds of commuters will no longer be able to park on Stafford's Castlefields estate and walk into the town and the nearby railway station.

Double yellow lines will be installed along the length of Martin Drive and Redgrave Drive and both double yellow and time restricted parking along Rose Hill.

The station’s car park – which charges £12 a day ­– is almost always full to capacity, leaving drivers with little other car parking space.

The nearest large-scale council alternative for long-term parking is behind the town’s Sainsbury’s store, costing £4.20 a day – or roughly £88 a month for commuters.

Many drivers are likely to look for on-street parking elsewhere on the edges of the town centre – but council bosses say they are ‘keen’ to extend restrictions to other areas to stop them.

Mark Winnington, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Economic Growth, said: "We’re aware of parking problems being displaced and so after consultation with residents we will be extending restrictions along the principal roads around Castlefields.

“After their implementation the highways team will be monitoring the parking situation in the following weeks to measure the impact and make sure they are working effectively.

“We are also keen to potentially extend new regulations to other areas which may be affected by parking displacement.

“We know parking has been an issue on these roads and so the new restrictions should improve visibility and safety.”

Martin Drive is set to form the gateway to the new Stafford Western Access Road off the busy Newport Road into town.

Drivers who use it to park along the route say parking in the town is too expensive and the changes will only cause motorists to park in other residential areas.

Graham Hall, who lives in Stafford, parks along Martin Drive and walks to the railway station to get the train to his job in Manchester.

The 43-year-old said: "There are very few places to park that are reasonable. The train station charges £12 a day, which isn't feasible.

"We've tried various places but then you get people complaining. This is about the only place where you aren't in front of someone's house.

"We drop the child off at nursery so have to use the car and then my girlfriend picks the car up and gets him.

"I get the train and work in Manchester and my girlfriend works in Birmingham so she has to get the train. We've got very little options now."

Jorge Tomey, from Stoke-on-Trent, who also parks along Martin Street to get to work in Stafford, added: "I think it’s ridiculous because it doesn't really affect anyone parking here. We're not blocking anyone's garden or anything.

"Where are you going to park? There should be more affordable places to park in the town – there's none really. If you're paying every day it costs about £90 a month to park."

The council will carry out the restrictions towards the beginning of July.

Residents on the estate welcome the move, with complaints of noise from the traffic travelling about the area.

One man, who lives in the area but didn't want to be named, was pleased with the move.

He said: "We live on the end of the road and this our back garden and we get traffic along here a lot.

"Cars have started parking around the corner on the bend and it’s waiting for someone to have a very bad accident.”

The Western Access Route will be a new road connecting the A518 Newport Road to the A34 Foregate by 2020.