RESIDENTS have aired their frustrations and concerns over a housing association’s move to block their car park.

Neighbours living in Vespasian Road, Andover, were shocked last week to find that Stonewater had shut off their parking spaces to make way for a compound.

In 2017 Stonewater was given planning consent to build nine new social housing homes on a car park used by eight Vespasian Road homes, with the plan to move parking on to the gardens.

And residents will have their front gardens and sheds taken away to make way for driveway parking.

But on October 4, this year, the householders found they were unable to park in their usual car park, without warning, they say, from Stonewater.

Resident Richard Towerton, speaking on behalf of his neighbours, said: “The agreement was that they would take away the garden to put in a driveway, they said they were going to do that before they blocked off the car park.”

Mr Towerton said there are now cars parking on the pavements and any available green space along the road.

“It is dangerous, you can’t see getting round corners. You can’t use the path because cars are parked on it. There is no way I can let my children play out there, it is so dangerous with all these cars parked.”

And the residents say they were not told about the closure.

“They [Stonewater] have gone back on everything they said. I think they want to keep us in the dark. We haven’t had a letter, email or anything. They are so disorganised,” Mr Towerton added.

A Stonewater spokesperson said: “Our contractor needed to create the on-site compound before work could commence on the new driveways to comply with health and safety requirements.

“Health and safety is paramount for our existing residents and therefore six weeks ago we started to cordon off areas of the car park to house our contractor’s compound. Our site manager has been liaising face-to-face with those residents that use the car park to keep them updated on available alternative parking arrangements.”