NEW parking controls which came into force this week have angered a doctors' surgery and traders in West Watford.

On Monday, Watford Council installed several pay and display bays in Park Avenue.

The move was designed to allay patients' fears over not being able to park near the Coach House Surgery which was turned into a controlled parking zone for residents last month.

The new bays, however, are at the end of the road about 500 metres away from the surgery.

This, according to Dr Simon Hodes, is not good enough for his patients many of whom are elderly and infirm and cannot walk long distances.

He said the council had implied the bays would be near the front of the surgery and was angry to discover that this was not the case.

He said: "We have gone out of our way to reach a compromise with the council, but they have just ignored us.

"They have not taken into consideration our views or the views of our patients who will now have to park at the end of Park Avenue and walk.

"We are not happy with the way we have been treated and we think the council have been very selfish."

His thoughts are echoed by some of his patients who are annoyed over the council's placement of the parking bays.

One said: "If you need to see a doctor, you want to park as near as possible to the surgery itself.

"I don't know why the council put them at the end of the road, but it seems like an ill thought out decision."

Traders in near-by Whippendell Road are also concerned over the pay and display bays in front of their shops.

They argue the road does not need the bays and they are a drain on their business.

Ms Claudia Manfredini, who runs hairdressers Snippers, said: "I'm very worried about my business.

"I don't know why the council have done this, it just seems like pure greed."

A council spokesman insisted they had consulted all business and residents in West Watford on the parking changes.

He said: "Nobody, either now or in the future should need to walk 500 metres to buy a pay and display ticket.

He said that shared use parking bays had been installed near the surgery and two more pay and display machines would be in place within the next five weeks.

October 2, 2002 13:00