Willesden High Road butcher Dennis Farrell and local resident Caroline Woollard joined MP Dawn Butler at the supermarket on Friday (April 9) to voice their concerns for the high street.
The petition signed by customers, traders and residents follows the introduction of a 20 minute parking limit at the store’s car park in February – extended to 90 minutes if the driver spends £10 or more in store.
Traders have seen a drop off in business ever since Sainsbury’s in Willesden cut the free parking period from 90 minutes to 20 minutes. (Image: Caroline Woollard)
High street cafés, restaurants and hairdressers say they have seen a drop in custom since Sainsbury’s slashed the previous 90 minutes free parking.
Ms Butler pointed out that the supermarket is “the only town centre parking in Willesden and Sainsbury’s is an essential part of this local community”.
“We are calling on them to think again and reverse their parking restrictions,” she added.
Mr Farrell is an independent butcher who has been trading in Willesden for decades.
He said: “We understand that this car park belongs to Sainsbury’s but they are part of the Willesden community and their new restrictions, introduced with no consultation, affect the whole community as well as local businesses.
“We call on Sainsbury’s to introduce more reasonable parking arrangements to enable their customers to use other local businesses.”
Campaigners say they conducted a survey of 30 businesses, which found footfall in Willesden High Road had dropped significantly since the parking controls were introduced.
They said 90 per cent had experienced an adverse effect on their business, with 70pc citing lower customer numbers, and 20pc reporting shorter customer visits.
Caroline said: “This decision by Sainsbury’s risks turning our High Road into a desert.
“The area is noticeably more subdued and these new restrictions have a wider knock-on effect on the whole community. The elderly and disabled need more time for their shopping, and the restrictions have changed people’s shopping habits significantly.
“Customers now run to get takeaways rather than enjoy eating in at the local cafés, and our survey shows that anxious and angry customers are taking out their frustrations on local shop-keepers. We really hope Sainsbury’s will see this is damaging goodwill towards them.”
Ms Butler added: “Sainsbury’s new parking restrictions are threatening the High Road at a time when we want to regenerate and support local businesses.
“These new restrictions affect not just customers of Sainsbury’s but all the local businesses and services.”
After delivering the petition, campaigners invited Sainsbury’s to meet businesses and thrash out an amicable solution – which could include the option of pay and display parking.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s previously told this paper: “We want all our customers to be able to park easily when they shop with us and as our Willesden Green car park operates at or near full capacity throughout the day, we have introduced a voucher validation system to improve availability.
“Following customer feedback about access to parking, the store now offers 90 minutes of free parking when spending £10 or more in-store and 20 minutes’ free parking for all other visitors, helping to ensure spaces are available when customers need them.”
