Holidaymakers could be prevented from parking on street near Glasgow Airport

Renfrewshire Council will look to prevent holidaymakers using a street near Glasgow Airport for parking – if elected members back the move this week.

The local authority is seeking permission to prepare a traffic order and consultation process with a view to introducing a free ‘resident only’ permit scheme on Paisley’s Marchfield Avenue.

Dozens of complaints, dating back to 2022, have been put to the council over the problem which is said to be “adversely affecting” people’s lives.

A paper on the issue will be considered by councillors at a meeting of the infrastructure, land and environment policy board on Wednesday.

It explained: “Residents of Marchfield Avenue, Paisley, over a period of time have been in contact with council officers to advise that on-street parking space is regularly occupied by users of Glasgow Airport, denying availability to residents, their visitors and deliveries.

“During site visits by officers, drivers are witnessed taking suitcases from cars and parking for long periods while they are away.

“Other drivers and taxis are witnessed dropping off airport passengers or waiting to pick them up. This activity is impacting on residents’ lives and their ability to go about their daily business.

“Most houses on Marchfield Avenue are terraced properties with no individual private driveways but communal car parks to the rear.

“Some residents do have private driveways or have converted their front gardens to private driveways, but most car parking spaces cannot be secured for private use and are susceptible to misuse by airport users.

“Officers propose that parking controls be introduced on Marchfield Avenue to prevent the use of the public road as an airport car park.

“Associated with these parking controls, officers propose ‘resident only’ on-street spaces should be made available to residents on application for a permit.”

The situation wouldn’t be addressed by pay and display meters under the plans to avoid giving the impression that parking by anyone other than residents and their visitors is “acceptable”, the report added.

The proposal involves splitting Marchfield Avenue into two parts – one would have white markings defining long stay bays and spaces accommodating permit holders, visitors or delivery vehicles and another would see existing laybys controlled by limited waiting, short stay restrictions considered “ideal” for business users but “no good” for all-day commuter parking.

It’s been conceded parking by airport users may spill on to other nearby streets as a result of the idea but the extent of this won’t be known until its introduction.

Council officers would monitor the surrounding area and suggest expanding the permit zone if necessary.