Patients visiting the Norton Place Health and Social Care Centre in Shoebury are facing parking challenges due to a restrictive one-hour limit on nearby Ness Road, it has been reported.
Norton Place, which serves 37,000 patients from Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Shoebury through six GP practices, offers appointments that can extend up to three hours. However, the health centre has limited parking space, leading patients to park on Ness Road. This road imposes a strict one-hour parking limit with a four-hour no-return policy.
James Moyies, Conservative councillor for West Shoebury, has raised concerns about patients undergoing lengthy treatments and being forced to relocate their vehicles due to parking restrictions. He has proposed a motion to the upcoming Southend full council meeting, advocating for the extension of the parking limit on Ness Road to three hours.
Labour council leader Daniel Cowan acknowledged the issue and assured that it would be addressed, irrespective of the motion’s outcome.
Mr Moyies emphasized the distress patients face when they have to worry about parking during their treatments. He expressed optimism that the council administration would support the motion, which is also backed by Conservative councillor John Harland.
The motion highlights the inconvenience caused to patients who have to seek alternative parking options in nearby residential areas due to the current parking restrictions on Ness Road.
In response to the proposed motion, Mr Cowan suggested that addressing the parking issue could proceed without additional delays or formalities.
The council will deliberate on the motion in the upcoming meeting to decide on potential changes to alleviate parking concerns for patients at Norton Place Health Centre.
