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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:
Blodplod · 21/09/2017 12:00

Same as others have said, it may be empty in the morning/evening but could be full during the day. I live opposite a village hall and am on the committee. Most of the time it looks empty and we've had builders etc parking there when working on local houses. But the hall is rented out, and people rent it for regular weekly slots (pilates, ballroom dancing, table tennis etc) and more frequently for Children's birthday parties. They arrive at say 10.00am - 2.00pm with lots of food, party bags, balloons etc. If they arrive and can't park its a nightmare for them. There's nowhere else for them to park and not fun getting a load of exited children out of the car to cross a busy road with loads of party detritus. And also, I would be pretty miffed to book an event and pay rent for it, to find my guests couldn't park when they got there. The only thing we did accept, from some builders who wanted to park there whilst renovating a house was a donation (£200). We are a charity and every penny counts and it had an inevitable end date. But apart from that, we don't appreciate randoms parking there regularly and thankfully it doesn't happen very often.

Blodplod · 21/09/2017 12:00

Excited children even....

JeffreySadsacIsUnwell · 21/09/2017 12:07

The PPs who mentioned renting a drive space reminded me that there are occasional posts on local FB pages requesting a parking space to rent, and they usually get 3 or 4 replies.

They also reminded me that a friend in a similar situation struck up a good deal with an elderly resident opposite her DC's school. She parks on his drive all day for free, and in return she knocks on his door at 3.30 after collecting her DC - he answers it, confirms he's ok, she goes on her way. I think over the years they've developed an unlikely friendship, she has picked up some shopping for him occasionally when he's been ill, and a couple of times her DC have actually waited in his house and had squash and cake when her train has been delayed - she's posted a photo of her 'emergency childcare' on FB and elderly man and DC all looked delighted with the arrangement!!

I don't know why, but I really like that - feels like there's still a community spirit instead of soulless car parks. It's not for everyone, but it's such a human solution to two very different problems.

HerRoyalChocolateBunny · 21/09/2017 12:08

The village hall is offering the service of allowing the parents to use it for pickup and drop off as a courtesy and as a favour. They certainly do not have to. You are taking the piss I'm afraid. We have a similar arrangement at our school, and it is very much drummed into parents that it is not to be abused. (Some don't listen though, and it creates all sorts of anger and angst).

HerRoyalChocolateBunny · 21/09/2017 12:09

That's a lovely story Jeffrey. :)

CaptainHammer · 21/09/2017 12:19

That’s a lovely sort Jeffrey, if only more people did things like that.

Also OP you say you’ve parked there over a year so it isn’t a space issue but it may be that a new group has started or got a lot busier so now parking is an issue.

HerOtherHalf · 21/09/2017 12:20

1. AIBU to park here?

Yes, of course you are and it sounds like you know that yourself so why ask the question?

2. Can they clamp me?

If you are a reasonable person, why do you care if they can clamp you or not? Are you saying if it turns out they can't legally clamp you then you'll just take the piss knowing you are BU to park there in the first place? It's people like you that spoil things for everyone else. The VH are being very reasonable allowing parents to use their car park for drop offs and you being an arse may well prompt them to reconsider that. Your parking problems are your problems, not the village hall's, the school's or anyone else's.

existentialmoment · 21/09/2017 12:28

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

Not necessarily. there is every chance the village hall and/or its car park is owned by the local authority, who are allowed to clamp.

Ttbb · 21/09/2017 12:33

You have to speak to someone at the village hall.

knowwhereyourheadis · 21/09/2017 12:35

there is every chance the village hall and/or its car park is owned by the local authority, who are allowed to clamp.

I doubt that. They are normally individual charitable entities run either by the local parish council (who wouldn't have that right) or their own committee.

knowwhereyourheadis · 21/09/2017 12:35

Bold fail.

5rivers7hills · 21/09/2017 12:37

YAB extremely cheaky fucker!

5rivers7hills · 21/09/2017 12:38

Why don't you rent a parking space?

www.yourparkingspace.co.uk

www.justpark.com

www.parklet.co.uk/

Original poster
Littleredhouse · 21/09/2017 13:30

Ok, I see IABU so will get in touch with the hall to see what they say. I hadn't thought of daytime classes (remiss of me) as there aren't any on the website.

OP posts:
happystory · 21/09/2017 13:59

This happens at our playgroup. It's next to a station where (obviously) you have to pay to park. Cheeky buggers park in playgroup car park all day and go off on the train, for free! Yes it may be virtually empty at 7.30 but all day that hall is used by families, older people, in fact lots of people from the community. You're not a hall user, don't park there all day.

HerOtherHalf · 21/09/2017 15:32

Ok, I see IABU so will get in touch with the hall to see what they say. I hadn't thought of daytime classes (remiss of me) as there aren't any on the website.

So you expect them to justify to you why you shouldn't be allowed to use their private car park as your own all day park-and-ride? You really don't have a clue how unreasonable and entitled you are, do you?

sharklovers · 21/09/2017 15:53

Assuming there’s no signage of the type employed by third party parking enforcement companies I think there’s not really much they can do so I’d keep parking there for the time being. God help ‘em if they do clamp you.

Nettletheelf · 21/09/2017 16:05

So the village hall must now pay for parking enforcement, from (I assume) scant funds in order to force people like the OP to stop parking there? Nice!

There's a reason why supermarkets, etc. near rail stations have had to bring in people like Parking Eye, at a significant cost, and limit parking to two hours. It's because people take the piss. However, supermarkets can afford this type of enforcement. Why should a village hall have to do the same, when the funds could be spent on community activities?

Witchend · 21/09/2017 16:07

I work at something similar to a village hall.
We get people who nip in, ask if they can have a permit while they just nip up to XYZ. Sometimes if we're fairly empty we say "go on then".
They then typically get terribly indignant the next time when we say no because we're expecting a large group who will more than fill the car park. They're also inclined to "just nip" ending up being 3-4 hours.
Most days during the day we are full at some point, so it means someone who is legitimately using our place has to park in the mulitstorey which costs £1.80 per hour rather than us as £1 for however long you are in the building. We also had one of our hirers who pinched a load of the permits and gave them out so people didn't have to pay the huge fee of £1.

But what the people don't realise is although it is a community hall and we give out the permits, it's actually patrolled by the council. The indignation when they get a ticket it laughable. They always claim innocence.
We now have a phone number direct to the council to ask them to come down when we see someone doing this as we've tried speaking to people and they say "oh sorry, I didn't realise"... and continue to do exactly the same again and again until it hits them in the pocket. It's rare that speaking nicely to anyone makes any difference. Suddenly they don't think they're quite so clever trying to get away without paying after an £80 fine.

implantsandaDyson · 21/09/2017 16:52

This happened near me, it was a church hall car park. People used it to drop kids off at school, park for 10 mins to leave younger ones in, everyone trundled along. Then people started to take the piss re parking all day - hall users couldn't get in for the various baby/toddler/health/language classes so the church just locked the gates to the car park and didn't open them until 9.30 every morning. The commuters didn't park there anymore, it meant that it couldn't be used for the school morning drops but it was the easiest option.

TheCatsMother99 · 21/09/2017 16:55

Yes, YABU. You're not using the hall and they're letting parents use it for drop off as a favour, not to save you money when you get the train to work.

No, they can't clamp you as clamping is illegal in the uk. That doesn't mean you should continue parking there as they'll probably end up shelling out for parking control which they really shouldn't have to.

illustratednews · 21/09/2017 17:00

I don't understand why you don't just drive to work? Seems a bit silly to have a car and get a train

Carbon footprint? Environmental impact? Being a responsible member of the human race and not a selfish one?

MissBabbs · 21/09/2017 17:02

You are stretching the rules. Could you offer to donate money to the hall upkeep? Though I doubt they will accept that.

BMW6 · 21/09/2017 17:13

Apologise profusely for having taken the piss for the past year and stop doing it OP!

InvisibleKittenAttack · 21/09/2017 17:14

I must say, we've had something similar with our DCs school. Parents took the piss parking in the car park for a charity's centre, the centre activities all started 9:30/10am ish so they were happy to let people use it for dropping off, on the understanding the carpark would be free for their clients to use.

But parents used the carpark then went to work/gym classes/for a coffee and the people the centre were supposed to help couldn't park there.

The centre complained to the school several times, piss takers continued to take the piss. Notes were left on windscreens which were ignored.

The centre decided to start using their gates - so now the carpark gates are shut until after 9am and from about 2:30 they have a staff member stood outside checking why you are trying to park there.

OP - don't spoil it for everyone, or you might find your permit scheme removed, a cheap barrier in place and everyone in the school being pissed off at you.

Pay for parking. If you can't park at the commuter carpark, look at paying for renting a drive or even contact the village hall and see if you can buy a parking place through the day.