Problems in the car park serving flats in Moore Walk and Brooking Road have worsened since Newham Council introduced a wider parking zone in Forest Gate North, residents claim.
They say this allows anyone in the area with a permit to park in spaces next to the estate, attracting drug dealers and fly-tippers.
People living on the estate claim that the council has refused for years to install a camera or gate to restrict parking to residents.
It is understood that the estate is owned by Newham Council, but managed by Sanctuary housing association.
In recent weeks, a metal gate did appear across the car park’s entrance – but neighbours say it is not clear who built it, adding that the latch is already broken so it cannot be closed.
Leah Stanca, who has lived in Moore Walk for the last 15 years, said that the “worst part” of the car park being a free-for-all was the crime it attracts.
“When you have a lot of traffic coming and going, there are other issues that come with it – drug dealers operating from here and fly-tipping,” she explained.
“I’ve got two young children. Once, I was walking with my daughter through the car park and a car just came around the corner at speed and almost hit us.
“Even the other night my husband had to wait for an hour until he had a spot to park because there were no spaces anywhere.”
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the Recorder that almost every other estate in the borough had a restricted car park, adding that it felt like their estate was being “treated differently”.
“People will sit there, do drugs in their vehicles and then drive off at speed. It’s attracting bad behaviour,” they explained.
“It’s obvious that if you have an open car park, people will use it and abuse it, but the council hasn’t done anything about it.”
They added that parking on the estate used to be resident-only before it was engulfed into the wider parking zone, and called on the council to restore this arrangement.
A Newham Council spokesperson claimed that while they “appreciate the concerns raised”, similar gated areas within the borough “continue to experience ongoing anti-social behaviour”.
This reportedly includes repeated vandalism of gates “resulting in substantial maintenance costs” and unauthorised use of parking spaces by non-residents, including businesses and abandoned vehicles.
“We have been working to develop a boroughwide programme aimed at extending parking restrictions and enforcement measures to housing estates facing similar concerns,” they added.
“This initiative seeks to extend parking enforcement with the goal of improving safety, accessibility, and overall parking management, while addressing ASB-related issues.”
Sanctuary has said that it is aware of the concerns raised by residents and is “committed to trying to help improve this situation”.
