Customers of well-known high street stores are complaining about a clampdown on parking at a Wiltshire retail park.

The managers of the Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge appear to be enforcing parking regulations along similar lines to the St Stephen’s Place Leisure Park in the town.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras are being used and signs say the car park is for “Spitfire and Trowbridge Customer Parking Only”.

The signs warn users that they face £100 parking charge notices for contravening the rules. This is reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days of the PCN being issued.

The signs around the Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge where the car park management have started to enforce the regulations. The signs around the Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge where the car park management have started to enforce the regulations. (Image: Trevor Porter)

Already, customers are complaining about the policy on social media, with one anonymous driver saying: “Just received letter about parking at Spitfire Retail Park, states was there for 15 minutes but overstayed by five minutes.

“But checked online to see you can park there after 7pm for an hour, is this a scam, do I appeal or just pay?”

Another user, also anonymous, said: “Since when can you get fined for using a car park by Pure Gym/McDonalds? I was there to use the gym.

“It wasn’t even an hour this time plus I use the gym at night a lot and it’s never happened to me before. Looks like a proper scam.”

 

 

The signs say that users can park there for a maximum of three hours, with no return within one hour.

There is strictly no parking between 11pm and 6am unless using the Pure Gym, where visitors must register their vehicles on a tablet on arrival.

The signs around the Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge where the car park management have started to enforce the regulations. The signs around the Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge where the car park management have started to enforce the regulations. (Image: Trevor Porter)

The PCN’s are being issued by Exeter-based car park managers Premier Park Ltd, which is acting on behalf of the Spitfire Retail Park managers Colliers International in Bristol.

The Wiltshire Times has contacted Colliers International and Premier Park Ltd for a comment but at the time of writing had received no response from either company.

Colliers International in Bristol manages the Spitfire Retail Park site.Colliers International in Bristol manages the Spitfire Retail Park site. (Image: Trevor Porter)

Formed in 2005, Premier Park manages more than 850 parking sites for a wide range of public and private companies.

The Spitfire Retail Park has a privately owned car park servicing all the major retail stores on the site, including B&M home store, Costa Coffee, Curry’s PC World, Dreams, KFC, Matalan, McDonald’s, Pets at Home, TK Max, and Pure Gym.

The site managers also monitor the Spitfire Retail Park for anti-social driving. The site managers also monitor the Spitfire Retail Park for anti-social driving. (Image: Trevor Porter)

As well as enforcing parking regulations, the site is also monitored for anti-social behaviour, such as playing loud music.

Signs warn that drivers will be reported for carrying out dangerous manoeuvres such as wheel spinning, handbrake turns and excessive engine revving.