Greater Manchester Police and Trafford Council are urging visitors to Dunham Massey to park safely and legally this weekend – or risk fines and vehicle removal.
The popular National Trust property, Dunham Massey House, remains closed, but the gardens and park, which includes a right of way, are open. Dunham Massey recently reopened their car park for pre-bookings but parking space is reduced to around 30 percent of the normal capacity due to social distancing requirements, and all public facilities remain closed.
While the pre-booking service was widely publicised, visitors from across the region are still arriving without a reservation and causing parking issues around the local area. Tickets are released online via the Dunham Massey website every Friday and all bookings for this week up to the 21st June have sold out. There is very little street parking local to Dunham Massey and the number of visitors over recent weeks has caused issues for local residents.
Shan Nasim, Chief Inspector from Greater Manchester Police, Trafford district said
We have been listening to local residents’ concerns, which include visitors leaving a large amount of litter, drinking alcohol in the open spaces, having BBQ’s in the park – which is a potential fire hazard -and inconsiderate and dangerous parking.
Over recent weeks we have seen a large volume of visitors to Dunham Massey who have not pre-booked a parking space and subsequently parked illegally on local roads. The parking has caused issues for emergency service vehicles accessing the area and obstructed pavements, creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians and other road users.”
Cllr Mike Freeman, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Public Safety, Governance and Reform said:
Parking enforcement officers have been on patrol around Dunham Massey issuing penalty charge notices. This has not deterred some visitors who would rather pay the fines than park their vehicles responsibly.“From this weekend and over the coming weeks we will be working with Greater Manchester Police and partner agencies to enforce parking restrictions and challenge poor behaviour.
We want visitors to be able to enjoy our beautiful open spaces and parks, but it is important they do so in a responsible way that doesn’t cause harm to others.”
Chief Inspector Nasim added:
Vehicles which are parked in a dangerous position or causing obstruction may be removed. This is a last resort but there has been constant engagement with visitors over the last few weeks. This could mean groups returning from a day out to find that the vehicle has been removed and have no means of returning home. We really want to avoid this position so please do not attend the area without car parking arrangements.”
