Greenwich Council has launched a six-week consultation on its “sustainable streets” programme in six areas of the borough, including Shooters Hill.
If implemented, the scheme would include introducing parking permits and designated parking bays.
But some people living in Shooters Hill have told the News Shopper that the local authority is trying to solve a problem that does not exist, claiming that there are very few parking problems in the area.
Tim Waters, who finished fourth in the Shooters Hill council by-election last month as a Conservative candidate, said: “I’m absolutely fuming.
“Controlled parking zones (CPZs) originated around high streets and stations.
“Unfortunately, councils have seen that they are a major generator of cash so they’re using them for less altruistic purposes.
“There are streets near me like Isla Road where the proposal is to literally halve parking provision. It will cause an awful lot of frustration and dispute.”
He added that it seemed as if Greenwich Council was using the “stick and not the carrot” to drive down the number of cars in the borough.
Depending on how polluting your car is, a parking permit in Greenwich can cost as little as £20 a year or as much as £300 a year.
Mr Waters, who lives in Vambery Road, said that the local authority should first secure better bus routes for the area before introducing such “radical” parking measures.
He added that a six-week consultation window over the summer holidays seemed “short and inconvenient”.
Another local resident, Lara Ruffle Coles, said that cars are a “reality and a necessity” in Shooters Hill.
“There are no train stations in the area, and it is the tenth highest hill in the whole of London,” she explained.
“People need parking outside their houses, schools and places of work that doesn’t put additional pressure on their finances, or create community tensions by people competing for spaces.
“What’s needed is a progressive, long-term vision for sustainable streets, not a quick-fix CPZ policy presented as a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist in Shooters Hill.”
Greenwich Council’s consultation will close on August 22.
A council spokesperson said: “Feedback like this is exactly why we are undertaking such a large consultation, to make sure that the proposals we develop truly meet the needs of each area.
“In February 2025, we reached out to around 70,000 households in our first phase of engagement.
“We found that parking issues are a real concern for over half residents, and that there are barriers to either getting an electric vehicle or cycling.
“The six week period aligns with best practice and we are offering online sessions for anyone that cannot attend in person.
“This current round of consultation will directly inform the final designs, and residents will have another opportunity to either support or object to the proposals at that stage.”
