Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Village Hall car park

83 replies

Littleredhouse · 21/09/2017 10:19

Three times a week I drive my son to his school in the next village before going to the station to get the train to work. We always park in village hall car park, walk to school and then I jump on the train - and then pick up the car after work.

I have a permit from school which allows me to park there - I'm guessing it's meant for pick ups and drop offs, but I've always parked there for the day without any problems. The commuter car park is always full by the time I get there, and there is no parking anywhere else in the village due to restrictions. The village hall car park is always less than half full.

Recently I've had 2 notices on the car from the village hall stating that it's for people using the hall only and that I may get clamped.

My questions are 1. AIBU to park here? 2. Can they clamp me? (There's a gate on the car park and a sign that says if you're there after the last event you may be locked in, but nothing about clamping)

OP posts:
lljkk · 21/09/2017 10:59

£100/year would be a good deal, maybe you can offer that to the village Hall for parking there. Assuming 38 weeks a year of parking there for work, that would mean 50p/day for parking charge. Bargain!

Anecdoche · 21/09/2017 11:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mummyoflittledragon · 21/09/2017 11:05

Is the commuter car park full if you park in it and walk your ds to school from there?

Logans · 21/09/2017 11:10

Sounds like they can't clamp you as they don't have the proper signage, but sounds like they'll start trying to do something about it properly soon. I think approaching them plus looking for other alternatives is a good plan.

Standingcat · 21/09/2017 11:11

I think you need to look into alternative parking, I wouldn't leave my car all day in the nursery car park after drop off.

tiggytape · 21/09/2017 11:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StayAChild · 21/09/2017 11:14

What happens in school holidays? Do you still display your permit?
I think I would have a chat with the owners of the car park and ask if it's possible to pay a fee. They might be preparing to act on the fact that you have had 2 written warnings.

knowwhereyourheadis · 21/09/2017 11:15

It's not right or fair that you're parking there and stopping a genuine hall user from having that space.

However, the threat of clamping. It's actually against the law now to clamp on private land in the UK. The 2012 freedom of movement act prevents it. So if they did clamp you, they'd have to remove it.

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 21/09/2017 11:18

If the carpark is owned by the Village Hall then it is up to their commitee to say who can and can't park there. I'm guessing that there is an arrangement with the school for parents to use it just for drop off/pick up. If there really is no other alternative I suggest that you contact the hall commitee and offer to pay them the same as it would cost you to use the commuter carpark, that way you would get a space and they would get some extra income.

Notevilstepmother · 21/09/2017 11:20

Just because it's empty when you are there doesn't mean it isn't full in the daytime. It could be that bookings in the hall from 10-2 mean people attending can't park despite the organisers paying for a venue with a car park.

You need to find somewhere else to park I'm afraid. I really don't think that they would bother putting a note on your car if it wasn't causing problems.

You could ask around if you can use someone's drive while they are at work perhaps? I think there is a website but you may get better results from asking locally.

Ivy79 · 21/09/2017 11:22

You need to contact the Parish Council in the village. If you can get an 'official permit' from them, then if it is nosy neighbours who think they have the right to tell you what to do, they will not be able to do anything.

You are probably doing no harm, but people can be funny/arsey about people parking on or near their territory. So get it sorted officially, before someone gets you towed or vandalises your car!

TheAntiBoop · 21/09/2017 11:22

You also run the risk of the hall withdrawing permission for the school to use it at all

You know you're pushing it!

Ivy79 · 21/09/2017 11:22

I mean they might not give you an official permit, but it's worth asking.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 21/09/2017 11:24

@Anecdoche is right, @Littleredhouse - you have no idea who is using the village hall car park between 9.30am and 3pm - presumably there are things happening in the village hall during the day, and people may well need to park there to get to a pensioners' lunch club or a play group - so it is very thoughtless and selfish of you to take up one of the spaces for the whole day.

I think they have every right to object to what you are doing, to ask you to stop, and to clamp you if you carry on parking without the correct permission on private property. You say yourself that the permit is probably just for drop offs and pick ups, so you KNOW you are in the wrong.

CaptainHammer · 21/09/2017 11:28

YABU!

Agree with PP’s. Your pass is for drop off/pick ups and you have no idea how busy the car park is during the day.

knowwhereyourheadis · 21/09/2017 11:31

I think they have every right to object to what you are doing, to ask you to stop, and to clamp you if you carry on parking without the correct permission on private property.

No, they don't. They have a right to ask you to stop, but have no right to clamp whatsoever!

Eliza9917 · 21/09/2017 11:32

If you can't drive all the way in to work, could you drive to the next station that has a car park and pick you your train closer in? Your train ticket might be cheaper then, but you'd have to pay to park.

MiniCooperLover · 21/09/2017 11:33

Our local pub kindly allows parents to park before and after school for drop offs and collections but they (and rightly so) get annoyed when people wander back to their cars hours after school finishes. If they take away the right to use their car park our school is screwed. You know you're wrong, don't muck it up for everyone else!

sharklovers · 21/09/2017 11:34

I think they have every right to object to what you are doing, to ask you to stop, and to clamp you

They may have every right to object but they certainly have no right to clamp.

Seeingadistance · 21/09/2017 11:35

YABU.

The people who run the village hall are asking you not to park your car there all day. What is there to discuss?

Park your car elsewhere.

QuinionsRainbow · 21/09/2017 11:38

I don't understand why you don't just drive to work? Seems a bit silly to have a car and get a train
Well, for one, it might be that OP works 50 miles away in the centre of a city!

blankface · 21/09/2017 11:43

Where do all the other working parents park their cars all day if they drop their kids at school using only the permitted times for the village hall car park, then presumably move their cars somewhere, then get the train themselves?

You are being so selfish expecting to leave your car at the village hall car park every day for free and quite likely depriving legitimate users of a space whilst they use the village hall for scheduled activities.

You say yourself that the permit is probably just for drop offs and pick ups, so you KNOW you are in the wrong
Yes, exactly.

RubyMyrtle · 21/09/2017 11:43

You’re being completely unreasonable. I help run a village hall and would not let you do this. I regularly have to deal with unthinking people who’ve eg come for playgroup & assume it’s fine to just leave the car there all day while they shop/go to a cafe etc which then causes problems for the disabilities exercise class afterwards. Most people only visit at certain times. They are completely oblivious to how busy or otherwise the hall & carpark gets outside of their regular times. I’d say they have been very lenient with you up to now but now you’re causing an issue so they’re clamping down - maybe a new class has started. Don’t get shirty that your arrangements will have to change. Accept that you’ve had a good deal up to now & move on. There might be a someone who can rent you there driveway nearby.

Danceswithwarthogs · 21/09/2017 11:50

YABU blocking up space in a community car park during the day. They're probably being nice at the moment (typed note) hoping you'll take heed... but when parking gets out of control businesses and organisations will get more serious/seek legal methods of protecting spaces.

This should be less about you trying not to get clamped and more about doing the right thing..

Im sure there's a website where you can hire private parking spaces on driveways etc during the day (a bit like airBNB for parking)

latebreakfast · 21/09/2017 11:52

YABU because there's no diagram.

Swipe left for the next trending thread