Workers' parking causes a conflict (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Workers' parking causes a conflict

VISITORS to the Great Copse country park in Pipers Way have accused Nationwide workers of clogging car spaces and leaving them nowhere to park.

A number of residents as well as people from other parts of Swindon are becoming increasingly annoyed with staff using the area as an overfill car park.

Sylvia Baker, 61, walks her dog at the country park each morning.

Mrs Baker, a carer, travels there from her home in Welcombe Avenue, Park North.

"If you arrive there after 9am you just don't stand a chance of getting a car parking space.

"I'm sick and tired of it. A company as large as Nationwide should be able to offer sufficient car parking to its employees."

Rose Earle, of Earle's newsagent in Newport Road, said: "Very often I go down to the country park just for some peace and quiet and you can't get anywhere near the car park, which is very annoying.

"The staff seem to park everywhere they block the entrance and park on the verges. It is used as an overfill staff car park which deprives the public of car parking spaces."

Mrs Earle would like to see a ticket system in place so that the car park could be monitored more closely.

Nationwide in Pipers Way is the company's national headquarters and is home to 3,000 employees.

It has 2,000 car parking spaces and 700 registered car sharers.

Spokeswoman Rosemary Calender said: "We are aware this is an issue and it is something we are looking into as a matter of urgency.

"We have recently set up a forum to improve car parking and look at the different options available to us.

"We encourage car sharing and we also encourage local employees to walk to work if they live nearby.

"We are making every effort to relieve congestion. We have had complaints of this nature in the past.

"It can be a seasonal problem though.

"In the winter fewer of our staff take holiday and more people tend to drive to work."

Some of the car parking space near to the country park belongs to Nationwide and is open to their employees, while some of the land is for public car parking use.

Ward councillor Wendy Johnson (Lib Dem, Old Town and Lawn) said: "It is unfortunate. I know Nation-wide do everything they can to discourage their staff parking irres- ponsibly."

Leader of Swindon Council, Mike Bawden (Con, Old Town and Lawns) said that he is due to have a meeting with Nationwide next week to try to resolve the problem.

Nationwide is the world's largest building society with 12 million members. Last year it was voted as one of the best places to work in Britain.