MORE THAN 450 people have signed a petition calling for ‘safe’ parking at a doctors’ surgery in Redditch.
The petition was set up by Elgar House Surgery to ensure elderly and disabled people could access the surgery safely.
Currently there is nowhere for patients to park within walking distance.
Patients previously used a car park owned by the Kingfisher Shopping Centre on Church Road opposite the surgery.
However, this was demolished in 2021 and is now an unused space.
Jessica Bethel, deputy practice manager at Elgar House Surgery, said they decided to take action after receiving parking complaints from patients.
“Some patients don’t have a blue badge but cannot walk very far so park outside the surgery and then get fined.
“The former car park over the road is just empty now.
“It’s a 10-minute walk from the town centre and people attending the surgery usually can’t walk that far.”
Jessica said the surgery would like the demolished car park to become active again or if some parking bays could put installed outside the surgery.
Lynette Browning, a patient of the surgery who has signed the petition, said: “It’s ridiculous having to walk sick children or while being ill yourself as far as you have to.
“And there are so many cars parked outside and on the pavement that a disability scooter, wheelchair or pram can find it difficult to get through on occasions without having to go into road.
“It’s not at all safe.”
Another patient, Georgina Honeyghan, added: “You should be able to park close to your GP’s as you’re there when you’re unwell.
“It’s not as if you’re going there for fun or shopping – they shouldn’t make money and give fines, it’s a disgrace, people are already stretched to the limit.
“Do we want to put off the less abled, the elderly and sick from getting the treatment they need?”
A Kingfisher Shopping Centre spokesperson said: “Following an in-depth structural assessment and evaluation of Car Park 7, including health and safety considerations, we concluded that the demolition of the car park was the only viable option.
“We understand that this has been disappointing for some residents. Over the past few years, we have invested considerably in our centre parking, which now offers over 2,400 spaces across our four multi-story car parks and provides ample parking for Kingfisher guests.
“We have also introduced new payment systems to make parking with us even more convenient as well as an additional 83 extra wide bays in car park 2 for added accessibility.”
