Hundreds of people signed a petition to stop a car dealer parking cars he is selling in the street.

But Rickmansworth Sports Cars owner Justin O’Shea says he “never has and never would” sell cars in the street and the problem is a lack of parking in South Oxhey.

A campaign asking Three Rivers District Council to force the owner of the Oxhey Drive-based business to “confine his activities to his own premises” gathered 450 signatures when it was started earlier this year.

An extra 91 signatures were added to the petition when it was presented to the council’s infrastructure, housing and economic development committee on August 14.

Those behind the petition say people in the area find it “impossible” to park because RSC has cars parked in bays along the road for up to three months at a time.

South Oxhey Residents Association chairman Lionel Cox supports the campaign but said: “It’s not just RSC – there is just no parking generally.

“It’s a policy problem. Three Rivers District Council aren’t meeting their own parking policies. This is a problem the council have generated.

“RSC is using space beyond its premises. But it is symptomatic of bad plans on the part of the council to ensure the infrastructure is planned and met in South Oxhey.”

“South Oxhey has more building than any other key area in Three Rivers and this is the problem.

“I want sensible planning with increases in infrastructure. We don’t see RSC as the sole cause – it’s the council”.

Mr O’Shea said he relocated his business to Oxhey Drive in November 2017 after he had to move from his former premises of 14 years due to a compulsory purchase order.

Although he says there is a parking problem in the area, he says his business is not the cause.

He said: “I never asked to move here. The only reason I came is because I wanted to continue to run a business in the area and not make people redundant.

“The parking down here has been a nightmare for a number of years, well before we got here. It’s a mess and it is not easy to park.

“I am worried about cars getting damaged, so we don’t park cars in the road.

“We don’t sell cars on the street – never have, never would. I will as a matter of principle ask people onto the forecourt to operate my business.

“I am not happy about the whole thing. This has been one of the worst years of my life.”

Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, chairman of the meeting, said “The Council understands the issues faced by the users of Oxhey Drive.

“However, the road does not have parking restrictions at this point and there is no evidence of illegal activity from RSC or any other road user.”

Cllr Giles-Medhurst added: “The road safety issues raised by the residents are a matter for the county council, and I have contacted HCC Highways officers to make them aware of the situation.”

Labour councillor for South Oxhey, Stephen Cox, said both the Liberal Democrats and Conservative parties voted to grant planning permission for the garage creating "inevitable parking issues". 

He added: "Over 500 petitioners have every right to be angry.  Three Rivers Council is effectively washing its hands of the issue. 

"Residents in the road know exactly which cars belong to whom and those that don’t belong there and should, instead be parked on private premises.  It’s no coincidence that the Labour team has been inundated with complaints since the garage was allowed to move to Oxhey Drive."

Council Leader councillor Sara Bedford said: “All the car parking removed as part of the development has been replaced by temporary car parking until the permanent car parking is ready. Only one or two of the new flats are currently occupied and they have their own parking. The scheme is being implemented in accordance with planning permission.


“The main problem is that South Oxhey was planned and largely built in the late 1940s and early 1950s when very few people had cars, certainly not more than one per household, and most people walked, cycled or used public transport to get to work, school or shopping”.