A shortage of parking for homes around the new Aldi store for the former Westlea Campus will lead to overspill around Shaw Road and nearby streets, fear residents. 

The Shaw Residents' Association has objected to the application from Bellway Homes, which they say will be short 30 parking spaces.

Outline permission for the scheme was granted earlier this year, and developers were given the final seal of approval last month.

Kevin Fisher, chairman of Shaw Residents' Association, said Bellway Homes had said they would be providing 26 parking spaces above the required provision for the site.

"The parking arrangements document proposes 124 parking bays and 36 garages, indicating that the developer wishes to count garages as parking bays," he said.

"From these numbers it can be concluded that Bellway Homes believes they must provide 134 parking bays and that garages may be included in the count.

"The planning layout document states there will be a total of six one bedroom homes with the remainder being two, three or four bed.

"Our interpretation of the Swindon Borough Council parking standards indicates that there should be two spaces per unit for houses up to four bedrooms, plus one visitor space for every five units. That equates to 154 spaces and not the 134 Bellway Homes assert."

Kevin has asked for new parking restrictions to be considered on Shaw Road to offset the problem.

"The Shaw Residents Association does not support the notion of counting garages as parking bays and is of the opinion that this application is 30 spaces short," he said.

"We therefore object to this application on the grounds that the developer’s numbers on parking allocations appear to be flawed and additionally on the basis of inadequate parking arrangements.

"When this application is taken into context with the adjacent new Aldi store, we believe there is a potential for overspill parking to occur along Shaw Road.

"We therefore ask for parking or waiting restrictions to be considered on Shaw Road between the Mead Way and Ridge Green junctions."

Bellway Homes have said the number of car parking spaces "will be compliant with Swindon Council highways policy requirements".

When the application was approved, Bellway sales manager Tim Lund said: “This development will breathe new life into land which has been disused for quite some time and help to address the need for more homes in Swindon.

“The homes at this development will cater for a range of needs, from those looking to buy their first home to families seeking more space.

“The site is in a fantastic location. Swindon town centre is easy to access from the development and can be reached in 10 minutes, and the site’s proximity to the M4 offers good road links to larger cities like London and Bristol.

“We’re looking forward to getting stuck into the site and are hoping to establish a sales presence at the development later in the year.”