DANGEROUS parking on a road near Stansted Airport has still to be resolved – four months after Essex County Council said it would be "expedited".
The county council pledged to find a solution to road traffic chaos exacerbated by Stansted Airport parking and hundreds of HGV quarry lorries travelling along Parsonage Road, Takeley in February – two years after the issue was first raised.
The promise from the then-highways cabinet chief at Essex County Council came three days after a multi-vehicle accident on the same stretch of road.
But now village residents are becoming frustrated about the lack of progress after the council’s latest update.
The council said the "perception that this is a simple, quick‑fix solution and that the lines can simply be installed immediately" was not correct.
In a letter to Takeley resident Graham Statter, the current cabinet member for highways and infrastructure at Essex County Council, Mark Webster, said they needed to carefully consider practical issues such as delivery access and alternative parking arrangements.
He added: "There appears to be a perception that this is a simple, quick‑fix solution and that the lines can simply be installed immediately.
"Unfortunately, it is not that straightforward. Even with airport funding, objections will still arise, and we are required to address and resolve them properly.”
Mr Statter said: "There’s a few side roads roads there with yellow lines and a one hour restriction a day. That would kill the airport parking.
“That’s all they need to do. That wouldn’t affect bus stops or residents.
"It wouldn’t affect anyone other than the people who leave their car there when they go on holiday."
He added: "My main gripe is the council’s inactivity. We’re paying council tax and it’s not even about funding – the airport has said it’s going to fund it."
Former district councillor and Takeley resident Derek Jones also said a one hour restriction each day would prevent fly-parking.
He said: "For us it’s a nightmare. We reverse into the drive because otherwise you can’t see reversing out."
Takeley parish councillor and resident Jackie Cheetham met with the previous highways cabinet member, Councillor Tom Cunningham, last November and was told the scheme would be implemented by the end of January.
Stansted Airport has agreed to pay the £22k cost of the red lines for the Essex County Council-led scheme.
The parish council says there is also a generalised airport parking problem.
This reduces the road width to single-track, forcing vehicles to face oncoming traffic as they pass the obstruction and sometimes mounting the curb on the wrong side of the road.
There is also an established HGV route to quarries in Elsenham, currently running at capacity and carrying up to 400 HGVs a day, often in convoys of three or four.
In a statement in February former cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and sustainable transport, Mark Platt said: "I was very pleased to visit the area with your representative Councillor Susan Barker and witnessed those HGVs hauling the items from the quarry we are tailgating most of the way through some of our experiences.
"I’ve seen the photographs of what happened on Monday. I’m very disappointed in that, and I’ve asked officers to expedite the situation, which I find quite alarming."
Councillor Mark Webster said: "As outlined, this is a complex and sensitive issue we have inherited from the previous administration at Essex County Council. However, we are determined to get it resolved.
"There are a number of important factors we must consider to do this properly.
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"For instance, access for deliveries, parking arrangements in nearby residential areas and making sure local people fully understand the implications of measures such as double red lines.
"Before progressing formal proposals we will engage with the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP), local residents and other key stakeholders to ensure the resolution is workable, proportionate and long-lasting.
"We completely understand the desire to get this done quickly, but we have a responsibility to consider different views and address any objections properly."
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