I have just noticed a large number of parking restriction signs have just gone up in the main car park of the Willow Brook Centre.
Looks like all the whole back section of the car park (what appears to be at least one third of the whole Willow Brook car parking area) is now reserved for only “staff and visitors with parking permits”, while the spaces near the Tesco store and the other stores appear to have a 4 hour maximum parking with a private company enforcing this.
Someone who visits the shops and then goes for a bite to eat may find themselves clamped.
I had never previously had issues parking there even on a Saturday, however with all the back section of the car park unavailable unless you work onsite at the Willow Brook Centre, I think there will be parking issues coming, especially at Christmas time.
John Sims
Photo: Archive image of the Willow Brook Centre car park.
TIP: For the latest information on car parking rules and the issue of penalty charge notices (PCNs) at the Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke, visit our Car Park Management information page.
there’s more signs , than car parking spaces now , going to be accident with us all reading them all!
I have never had a problem to park -but I assume they have had a problem people parking and riding into town possibly !
A) they can’t clamp you.
B) if the parking company employed by Willow Brook put a Penalty Charge Notice on your car because they believe you have transgressed their rules you can safely ignore it with the full might of the law on your side. Do not, ever, enter into correspondence with them, or phone them, ignore the 7 letters they will send you (after buying your name and address from DVLA). You won’t have broken any laws and they can’t do a thing about it.
It’s disgraceful that the manager of Willow Brook condones this threatening extortion racket carried out by a company he employs.
The design of the car park has always been a disaster so this doesn’t surprise me. They’ve always hated pedestrians so it looks like they are showing motorists the same contempt.
I get really tired of all the fuddy-duddys constantly whining on about trivial issue’s.
If you don’t like the parking rules. Stay away. Simple.
On the other hand you could always leave your car and walk, God forbid…!!!
There really are more important things in life to bother yourself with. Go find hobbies. Go volunteer somewhere. Do something, anything, to give your life less time to think about these things.
I’d hate to think how you would all cope should something really serious happen, like, I don’t know?…..Someone put their trolley back in the collection bay the wrong way round…!!!???
Maybe if they make all of the staff park in the back of the car park it will make it easier for the customers to park nearer the shops.
While I don’t dislike the Willow Brook Centre surely 4 hours is enough time for any sane person to be there even if you want to have a meal.
Just a thought…..it could be that by putting a four hour restriction on the customer part of the car park it will ensure the staff (who work over four hours) will park in the back of the car park. Brilliant!
I can’t envisage any circumstances where I would wish to spend longer than four hours in that place. As for the car parking spaces at the back, they only ever got used for selling Xmas trees and wooden patio furniture, so as long as I know not to park there I will continue to not park there. BTW, I also heard that ‘Granny Towers’ was also buying extra spaces off Willow Brook…true?
A source at the Willow Crook Centre has confirmed that: (a) A four-and-a-half hour parking limit has been introduced; (b) A staff parking area has been created at the back of the car park (there was previously no designated staff parking area). I will endeavour to get a more detailed response when the centre manager is back from leave next week.
The parking enforcement company they use also patrol Aztec West, at least the willow brook have put up sufficient signs to warn people, unlike Aztec!
What’s next?
Automatic number plate recognition on the way in and payment on the way out?
It’s bad enough their bumps are destroying my car even at the speed limit specified. 🙁
Most supermarkets have timed access in the car parks but willowbrook also has opticians, beauty spa, hairdressers and eating places, so 4 hours can easily go away quickly, you also cant return within the hour, so god help anyone wanting to have the full mot on their eyes, hair, shopping and going out to eat! This will serve to annoy customers who use this area and by the way that’s not forgetting the gym! The only way is to not use the facilities and the shop owners can complain about reduced trading and lift restrictions or at least survey users for an agreeable time limit!
It’s just to keep the staff from taking the close spaces. I always see the CJ Hole car parked at the front. Not good for turnover if it gets a reputation for ‘hard to find’ car parking. Fewer customers means less money.
Fed up of whingers says leave the car at home.
Does that mean we can bring the shopping trolley home, either by walking it or on the bus.
Carrying a weeks shopping on a Saturday for a family of four will need us to borrow a trolley to get the bags home if we don’t use the car!!
Have “The Mall” parking company taken over in Bradley Stoke. Do we now have to supply staff parking at the entrance end of the car park forcing you over the stupid bumps in the road. Willow Brooke management use your head people like to drive in and out of these roads. Put the staff parking at the place where no one ever parks.
I hate the place, tesco is rubbish they shouldnt be aloud to own 4 branch’s with in a mile its a joke, why should they have the monopoly over the area. With the parking and speed bumps and no access to a path when you get out your car and no way to cut across car park let alone with a trolley as stupid wire fence lines the carparking spaces.
I cant wait for co-op to open at the old parkway pub and even more looking forward to a nice new asda up filton with pets at home and other good stores there, really no need to go near that awful Tesco site in bradley stoke ever again yahooo.
Photos of the new signage can now be found on the BSJ Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/15KdNAT. Plenty of reader comments there too.
So Willow Brook’s management got rid of the original company they employed to hand out phony parking fines and now use Civil Enforcement Ltd. Presumably the scary, official-sounding name is meant to intimidate and deceive.
A simple Google search shows they are no better than any of the other parking companies.
I think everybody should vote with their feet, shame on Tesco for using a company like Civil Enforcement Ltd. who make a living needlessly scaring people with bogus threats!
I googled this company and was disgusted with the stories about this company.
Perhaps The Editor would like to contact the manager of The Willow Brook Centre to ask whether they did any research on CEL and why they decided to employ them based on that research.
Then we can decide whether we still want to use the facilities at WBC or not.
I noticed that a new camera went up on the approach road, near the zebra crossing – wonder if this is what they are using to monitor when cars enter the car park?!
Went to Yate today and their car park has a 4 hour limit as well, not good if you are doing an all day event at the leisure centre.
So often, when there are events on at our leisure centre or at the Jubilee centre people are encouraged to park at the Willowbrook, where can they park now if these events are for more that 4 1/2 hours?
I used the WBC car park today at midday. Was great, parked right by tesco. 4.5 hours was plenty to do my shopping. Good idea to put staff parking miles away so customers can park close. Same happens at the mall I am sure.
On the plus side, having that first little bit of car park closed off(the bit next to pound stretcher) has eased traffic flow in to the centre, as people don’t keep stopping and having to wait to turn right.
Maybe people should come and park on your driveway or your garden? Or would you have restrictions stopping them? Just a question!
Totally irrelevant question to the debate going on here. Are you somehow connected to either Willow Brook or their parking company?
Do you condone the methods and barely-legal threats to users of the car park by Civil Enforcement?
OK resident evil – it’s fine for WORKERS to park {as you say) “miles away” but since this new rule has been brought in why the heck are the general public parking in our designated area’s?
I would be interested to know who, and how, is this being ‘policed’
Oddly, this change, so far, has worked out better for me. I’ve been able to find a parking space much nearer the main centre than usual.
Lets hope this stays the case 🙂
Can’t believe some staff is moaning about walking a little way to work. Take in some consideration for people, who work in the city centre of Bristol, nightmare. I’m walking into work 2 miles a day once I parked my car.
To which Mall are you refuting to because if I’m right there isn’t any parking inforcement at the Mall in Cribbs Causeway
I used to park in the car park near Tesco’s but since getting my car damaged & asked the Willowbrook Centre they were most unhelpful & denied any responsibity. I saw two police officers who confirmed if you damage anyones car you are legally obliged to leave your details, of course they did not. I was advised to park away from the store & since then parked in the top of the car park near the recycling bins without a problem. Now i see this area is reserved for staff & visitors, i avoid going here as much as possible & shop at Cribbs Causeway instead.
Rumour has it that the new camera installed by the zebra crossing on the approach road is to catch motorists that swerve into the middle of the road in order to dodge the speed humps.
@Phil Holes: Existing CCTV already has this capability. We reported in January 2012:
https://www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk/2012/01/23/willow-brook-road-humps-news/
I parked in one of the disabled bays on Saturday and had lunch at the Harvester with my mother who is 80 years old and has a long term disability
And got a £40 fine for not displaying a badge which I am disputing .
If you don’t have a blue disabled badge displayed in the windsreen then you can’t park is a disabled bay.
Simple.
The staff car park was practically full yesterday, shows how much space they must have created in the areas near the stores.
I would say as others have regarding the Mickey Mouse “parking tickets” (which as we all know are nothing more than an invoice). Dont pay them. I had 4 so far during 2012/13 and ignored them all, they send you about four different letters and then give up. (incidentally mine were for things like tyre touching the white line of parking bay etc, another was quite interesting, I had a product to return and ‘deliver’ to Tesco, so I parked in the area marked ‘deliveries only’)