Broadwaters Drive: Rose Theatre reacts to parking concerns

The Rose Theatre on Chester Road North issued a plea to its patrons not to park on Broadwaters Drive after receiving complaints from residents in the area.

Despite the theatre printing tickets stating "Please do not park on Broadwaters Drive" and signs on the street, residents have complained about customers blocking driveways and taking parking spaces outside homes and in the car park opposite. 

This is used by some residents due to the lack of parking outside their homes so it is usually already quite full with some people parking on the grass and outside of spaces. 

Chairman of The Nonentites Society, which runs the theatre, Robert Graham, said: "Anything that can highlight and hopefully reduce the incidence of such a frustrating issue has our backing. 

"We are always disappointed when we learn that our patrons, often those who are attending for the first time, cause inconvenience to our neighbours by trying to find parking spaces in Broadwaters Drive. 

"The road signage is very clear and we communicate that we do not advise people to park there. It is worth noting that we are one of only a handful of theatres that state on our tickets that patrons should not park in a specific place."

An example of tickets asking residents not to park in Broadwaters Drive (Image: The Rose Theatre)

The theatre said it used to have regular complaints before traffic measures were put in place around 2010.

Since then, the number has significantly reduced and tends to only happen when there is a big show with a sell-out audience which might only happen for a few weeks in the season. 

Following the most recent show, one resident, who did not want to be named, said they do not blame the theatre but it was "utter murder" up the road and a big problem is "people arriving late and abandoning their cars". 

The theatre has again asked visitors on Facebook to be more mindful of those who live in the area and has said they are always willing to work with residents to find a solution to the problem. 

The car park at Broadwaters Park also fills up quickly on show days (Image: NQ)

Mr Graham added: "We take every issue seriously and as long as the complainant is non-threatening and civil in their contact, we will inform them of any action we take. 

"We very much feel part of the Broadwaters community and are always seeking ways to contribute. 

"The latest situation, which led us to post on Facebook, had us already reviewing whether we can be even more proactive in advising our customers not to park in Broadwaters Drive, but we can only go so far as we do not have the powers of civil enforcement officers to prevent this sort of anti-social behaviour.

"We would like to place on record that the Rose Theatre would support the local council and the local constabulary in any actions they consider appropriate to help reduce this problem."