By NICOLE VALICEK
A WILLIAMSTOWN resident says he has been bullied by his neighbours because he parked on a street that adjoins his home.
Mark O’Brien bought his block of land on O’Connell Mews Lane 17 years ago and said he has since parked his car on Gray Court which can be seen from the front of his house.
Mr O’Brien said his home only has a one-car garage and it was convenient for him to park on Gray’s Court and not have to walk on gravel and dirt, which would be his only option on his property.
He said the residents started a “campaign” to get his car off the street 17 years ago and that it had continued to today.
Mr O’Brien said the abuse which included vandalism, death threats, and verbal abuse was reported to police.
He and other residents on his street received a letter from the council on 20 June stating that due to ongoing issues raised with the council regarding non-resident parking in Gray Court it would implement a permit zone.
Gray Court residents will be issued with resident and visitor parking permits, with parking infringements issued to offending vehicles.
According to the letter, the council constructed additional parking spaces at the northern end of O’Connell Mews to cater for the residents at the northern end of the street to “alleviate the need for them to use Gray Court for parking”.
Mr O’Brien said he was frustrated the council did not consult the surrounding neighbours before a decision for permit parking was made and asked if all 17 courts and dead end streets would be made resident-only in the former rifle range area.
“The signs going up with no consultation at all,” he said. “It makes me feel confused about how council can make decisions without getting two sides of the story.”
Mr O’Brien raised a number of these questions during last week’s council meeting question time.
The council’s response was that it “depends on whether parking or lack thereof is considered a significant issue by the local residents”.
In the letter, the council said it will implement the permit zone in the next few weeks – weather permitting.
The council also said it had recently informed directly affected residents of the proposal that parking in Gray Court was to be converted to a permit zone – following complaints from residents that they were unable to park in their street.
“The council will continue to monitor the effectiveness of parking restrictions in the neighbourhood,” works and assets acting director Jeff Herz said.
