We live by a Premier League stadium… matchdays are awful with horror parking & black market criminals lurking everywhere
PEOPLE living by a Premier League stadium said matchdays are awful with horror parking and black market criminals everywhere.
Loud crowds pack the streets around Aston Villa FC’s Villa Park stadium in Birmingham on matchday.
Thousands of Villans flock to the 42,640 capacity stadium plonking their vehicles on public streets at the rear of Aston railway station.
But locals in the residential area by the stadium including Queens Road, Church Lane, Gladstone Street and Grosvenor Road are living a parking hell.
Frustrated residents in the neighbourhood around the stadium said they are facing daily battles with chaotic traffic and illegal parking.
Although fans parking illegally are now being slapped with a £50 fine – locals say it’s not enough.
Unashamed opportunists are now taking advantage of the high parking demand and have created a black market selling spots at ridiculous prices.
They have even set up barriers charging matchgoers £5 to park on public land illegally.
According to locals, The Salvation Army‘s car park barrier was recently smashed and used as match day parking ahead of the game against Crystal Palace.
Councillor and fellow Villa fan Lee Marsham said the behaviour is unacceptable and selfish to residents and fans.
He told Birmingham Live: “Home games are becoming like the Wild West with criminal activity, a black market and inconsiderate parking which impacts residents and fans.
“I’m pleased that my calls for more parking enforcement have been heard as I’ve seen cars being ticketed but it’s not enough.”
Earlier this month, Mayor Andy Street and the club promised to redevelop the area surrounding the stadium to a more spacious one with enough transportation links for supporters.
He promised they were drawing up an action plan to develop the “overcrowded” Witton station into one that’s “suitable and spacious”.
Despite the vow, supporters continue to battle against the terrible traffic in and around Villa Park grounds pre and post-match.
Meanwhile, angry locals said to have to wait hours to board packed trains during evenings at Witton and Aston stations.
Mr Marsham claimed the plans aren’t enough to tackle illegal parking and slammed the mayor for “inaction”.
He added: “Public transport isn’t good enough, and Andy Street has failed to act with only a study on upgrading Witton Station with no guarantee of funding and no dedicated match buses like at Edgbaston.”
The councillor has now called the club to implement more car parking spaces to stop the unsustainable situation.
He fumed: “The Mayor needs to do more, he’s had six years of inaction.”
But the Mr Street said to continue working on the transformation of the area.
The Mayor said: “We’re working on how best to redevelop the station by undertaking a feasibility study that will give us a clear indication of the funding required and the options ahead of us.
“This is just the first step as we will then need to put together a strong business case and find the money to make this happen but nonetheless it does bring us a step closer to delivering a premier railway station.”
It comes as the club plans to splash £100million on a new stadium – but residents slammed organisers should spend the money cleaning up their streets.
Many locals litter and road closures are also causing havoc on match days.
One neighbour Aysha Kamal, 18, said: “Every game brings with it a lot of broken glass and food packaging and it’s just left.
“We have a little park next to our house but it’s always full of cans and bottles and the bins are overflowing days after the game.”
Aston Villa FC has been approached for comment.