A CAMPAIGNER is calling for a controversial parking scheme to be scrapped over figures that show roads are not crowded.

Redbridge Council’s plans to bring in pay and display parking in Wanstead High Street and permits in surrounding roads have been a point of contention among residents and business owners since they were revealed in November.

In January council bosses made a U-turn and decided to run a consultation on the scheme instead of the original plan to roll it out under an “experimental traffic order”.

But as people in Wanstead and Snaresbrook wait for consultation forms to come through their letterboxes this week, campaigner Michael Powis is increasingly concerned the council has got its facts wrong.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Mr Powis, who has lived in Grosvenor Road for 42 years, helped fight off similar parking restrictions under Redbridge’s Conservative administration in 2011.

But after scrutinising some of the parking data, the 76-year-old claims the Labour council is only running the scheme for financial gain, as figures show “we don’t have a problem”.

Looking at Redbridge’s “Wanstead: Analysis of Parking” document, Mr Powis points out only four of 51 roads covered by the scheme are 100 per cent full.

It also shows Zone WA, which covers roads south of Wanstead Station like Overton Drive and Redbridge Lane West, is 52 per cent free of cars on weekdays (585 spaces available) and 56 per cent free on weekends (622 spaces available).

Zones WB and WD, which run either side of Wanstead High Street, are busier, but still have 145 free parking spaces (13 per cent) on weekdays and 264 on weekends (24 per cent).

Mr Powis said: “We ran a campaign six years ago that completely rejected this scheme.

“The parking system we’ve had for the last 10 years is working absolutely fine, so why change it?

“Their own figures prove roads in Wanstead and Snaresbrook are hardly ever full.

“It’s just sheer dogma. A money making scheme. Nothing else.”

The data shows only one road (Woodcote Road) in Zone WA where more than 80 per cent of parking spaces are taken, but 20 out of 31 roads in Zone WB.

At a public meeting at Wanstead Scout Hut in January, council leader Cllr Jas Athwal promised angered residents consultation forms will offer a “no” option for parking restrictions in their road.

But with an average weekday parking occupancy of just 48 per cent for Zone WA, and 83 per cent for WB and WD, Mr Powis wants his neighbours to be able to opt to scrap the scheme altogether.

He said: “I’ve asked this question eight times at different council meetings and countless more by email, but it just gets stonewalled.

“Will we have the option to say we don’t want the scheme at all?

“The scheme is clearly based on flawed data, which tries to justify a parking problem we don’t have.”

Cllr Athwal insists “parking in Wanstead is a real problem”.

He said: “We have evidence that shows if we don’t do something about Wanstead parking now we will be acting too late."

A Redbridge Council spokesman added: "These figures are the result of parking surveys in the area on a variety of dates between 13 April and 28 June 2016. Additional survey work also took place on 3 and 5 November 2016. 

"Roads parked to 80 per cent capacity and above are considered as high occupancy, which can present difficulties when trying to find a parking space. 

"This is a measure used by other local authorities to assess parking and two thirds of the roads within the proposed zones are at or above this figure.

"We know that people feel very strongly about this and that is why we will soon be launching a full and thorough consultation which will give them the opportunity to have their say on the matter."

Mr Powis and his fellow campaigners are due to meet with council representatives on Friday (March 24).