Wimbledon Village Parking

Shops in Wimbledon Village are very alarmed at the recent restriction on parking.

There is now no parking before 10am and after 4 pm. An angry shopkeeper said. ‘It is ridiculous that on a Saturday afternoon, when we do a lot of trade, there is no capacity for shoppers to stop after 4pm. We might as well close up.’ Previously there was a facility for shoppers to park for 20 minutes to pick up necessary items and do a bit of window shopping. That has now gone, so the effect on local trade is significant and could threaten the existence of Wimbledon Village as a local shopping area and a place of general appeal that the public like to visit.

There is a more general problem that the amount of through traffic up Church Road and Belvedere Road is on the increase and has become a ‘rat run’, to the annoyance of local residents.

Richard Hunter, Chair the Wimbledon Village Business Association, said ‘There are usually creative solutions to traffic challenges, but I don’t think enough time was spent engaging Village businesses who have been adversely affected on this occasion.

If the council continue with a cavalier attitude towards our businesses, we will all suffer and the Village could quite quickly deteriorate.’