Craig Burgess describes how Balsall Common Dental Practice found themselves having to respond to persistent abuse of their Private Car Park by introducing parking fees, using a management firm to monitor the car park:
New Car Parking Policy at Balsall Common Dental Practice
The team at Balsall Common Dental Practice has been experiencing complaints in recent months from patients unable to park on site, which they have found to be due to general usage unrelated to their business.
In a bid to protect their private car park for use by patients, practice visitors and staff, they have taken what they describe as a reluctant decision to introduce parking fees for all other car park users.
“Like most people, we know the management of private car parks has suffered something of an image problem, so we have been very careful about who we choose to help us manage our car park. We are not looking to catch people out, or make money and nobody will have their vehicles clamped or towed away” explains owner Dr Ashley Davenport.
“In fact our goal is never to have to charge anyone, so in addition to putting up signage all around the car park, we’re looking for help from the community to spread the word and will also be encouraging anyone that feels they have received a parking charge unexpectedly to come forward and we’ll help them apply to have their first parking charge waived.”
“We realise that people have busy lives and may not notice the new signs so we’re communicating as widely as possible and don’t want anyone to feel they have been ‘caught out’, or ‘snared’.
“Our on-site parking will remain free for patients, practice visitors and staff, but after a series of complaints we reluctantly decided we needed to protect the facility on their behalf.”
The parking charge for non-patients will be levied at £100, so BalsallCom.Com has been asked by Balsall Common Dental Practice to help distribute the news.
A car park management Company will use CCTV facilities to monitor Car Park usage and the Practice has put up four new signs around the Car Park outlining their new parking Terms and Conditions.
For queries relating to the new parking terms, call UK Car Park Management Ltd on 0845 463 5050.
Balsall Common Dental Practice Car Parking Charges Summary
Car Parking is free for patients, practice visitors and staff.
Car parking for all other users is £100 per visit.
For each £100 parking charge, £90 is retained by the car park management company and £10 passed to Balsall Common Dental Practice. Every £10 received will be passed to local charity.
The full Parking Terms and Conditions are clearly visible on site and can be queried by calling UK Car Park Management Ltd on 0845 463 5050.
Balsall Common Dental Practice will be happy to assist with applications for one-off waivers. The final decision is that of UK Car Park Management Ltd.
Questions and Answers
Will members of the public have their vehicles clamped or towed away?
No. This will never happen. The purpose of this new car parking policy is entirely focused on protecting the interests of Balsall Common Dental Practice customers, visitors and staff. It is not about making life difficult for members of the community. For non-practice car park users that happen to find themselves caught out by this new parking policy, the management will be happy to enter into dialogue, with a view to waiving a parking fee notice on a one-off basis.
Is the introduction of parking fees just a ploy to make money?
No. This new car parking policy is designed for the benefit of practice customers, visitors and staff and the goal is never to have to charge any parking fees. The practice plans to achieve this by clearly communicating their new policy and helping people get used to the change through friendly dialogue. In any instances where people feel they have been caught out by the new parking policy, the practice will be happy to enter into dialogue with a view to waiving the first parking fee. For any fees that do happen to be charged, any surplus after management costs will be passed to a local charity (or charities).
£100 is a lot of money, why is it so expensive?
The management preferred to avoid parking charges altogether, but after a series of complaints from valued customers, there was a need to manage the car park. The best solution was to appoint a Car Park Management Company. It was found these companies levy similar charges, much of which covers the costs of signage, car park monitoring and other administration. The Practice is happy to accommodate parking emergencies and members of the community with mobility issues. Anyone in this position is invited to visit reception on arrival, or call for assistance on 01676 529000 and they will not be charged. For every £100 charge, Balsall Common Dental Practice will receive £10 which will be passed to local charity.
Is the Balsall Common Dental Practice Car Park shared by any other businesses?
No. The car park is owned and managed for exclusive use by patients, staff and official visitors to the dental practice. The adjacent businesses have their own parking arrangements. For example, the opticians and vets share a private car park behind the vets, access to which is available from Kenilworth Road.
Where Else Do People Park if they are not visiting the Practice?
There is free public car parking at nearby locations as follows:
Balsall Common village centre shops, Station Road.
Balsall Common Library Car Park (accessible via Station Road, adjacent to Costa)
What if someone has a ‘Parking Emergency’?
If anyone visiting the village centre finds themselves in urgent need of a parking space and is unable to use any of the other available spaces then they should feel free to pop into the practice reception to ask if they can use one of their spaces. The team will be happy to help where possible, but with the exception of extraordinary circumstances, will predominantly afford priority to practice visitors, including expected arrivals, meaning they may not be able to help on every occasion.
Who is UK Car Park Management Ltd?
UK Car Park Management Ltd is the fastest growing car park management Company in the country and has been appointed to manage the Balsall Common Dental Practice car park.
The firm takes great pride in their ethical approach to car park management and enforcement.
Tel: 0845 4635050.
What if someone didn’t know about the charges and has received a Parking Charge Notice from UK Car Park Management Ltd that they weren’t expecting?
Signage has been displayed to try to prevent this, but if anyone feels they have been caught unawares, recipients of car parking fees are invited to bring their notice into the practice reception personally to discuss the situation. The Practice Management will be happy to assist with the completion of an application to ask UK Car Park Management Ltd to cancel their charge, on a strictly one-off basis.
The Practice Management will only be able to offer this assistance once and can only get notices cancelled if they are unpaid and less than 3 months old.
