Bovingdon High Street parking could see more restrictions

A public consultation will run until September 11 over proposals by Dacorum Borough Council to add time limits, and dedicated loading-only and disabled bays to free up spaces for shoppers.

Dacorum said concerns have been raised about the turnover of spaces in the existing designated parking bays outside high street shops.

Cars are often reportedly seen waiting in the bays for long periods of time, meaning there are less spaces for shoppers to use.

If brought forward, all the parking spaces on the north-eastern side and in front of the south-western shops would be limited to two hours stay from 8am to 6pm on Monday to Saturday, with no return within one hour.

Dedicated loading-only and disabled-only bays would also be introduced on either end of the spaces in front of the shops from Monday to Saturday during the day.

An overview of the proposed restrictions. (Image: Dacorum Borough Council)Drivers would be banned from waiting at any time on the remaining parts of the north-eastern pavement to prevent access to homes being blocked by parked vehicles.

Residents can submit their views online through a portal on the Dacorum Borough Council website until September 11.

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It comes after Bovingdon Parish Council announced a crackdown on parking outside the Memorial Hall after verbal requests for drivers who stayed there for “extended periods of time” to move were ignored or even met with verbal abuse

It said it would introduce signs limiting parking outside the venue to those who book or use the hall to stop other drivers preventing legitimate users from parking.

The car parking outside the Bovingdon Memorial Hall. (Image: Google Street View) The parish council spokesperson added: “The Memorial Hall is a separate registered charity, and its survival is dependent on the ability to generate sufficient income to cover running costs.

“It is therefore vital that the parking area is always available to all legitimate hall users.”

Several High Street businesses told the Watford Observer that they worried customers may avoid Bovingdon if parking outside the Memorial Hall became more restricted.