Demands for improvements at ‘filthy’ town centre car park

Windsor figures have decried the condition of one of its better-value car parks – saying its ‘filthy’ condition and increased ‘anti-social behaviour’ is off-putting for visitors and must be fixed.

Victoria Street car park is a multi-storey which has seen better days.

Speaking to the Express, Theresa Haggart, a trustee of the Windsor and Eton Society, said there is graffiti, rubbish, bird droppings, ‘filthy’ stairs and problems with the strip lighting.

“We try very hard in Windsor to make it a beautiful place for people to come to, and it’s not the best advertisement,” she said.

“It’s not a very good view for people as they arrive in the town.

“It’s one of those places where if people go [in], they go out [again] quickly,” Theresa added.

“It looks tired, sad and neglected. It’s one of the cheaper places to park for short term – if it’s bright and light, people will come.”

The town’s MP, Jack Rankin, said several residents have been echoing these sentiments – and he has pushed the council to address the problem.

In a letter to them, he wrote: “It is clear to me that there has been a marked decline in the upkeep of the car park which is deterring people from using it.

“In particular, the presence of a growing number of rough sleepers in and around the car park is associated with a rise in anti-social behaviour and can be intimidating.

“While I fully recognise that homelessness is a complex and separate issue that we need to work together to address, the car park is for local residents and visitors using nearby shops and businesses – not a gathering place for rough sleepers.”

Mr Rankin added: “The car park itself is generally unclean, strewn with a variety of litter and sometimes human waste.

“These conditions not only pose public health risks but also deter residents and visitors from using the town centre and spending their hard-earned money with local businesses.”

This, on top of the cost of parking, means that residents and visitors ‘are choosing to spend their hard-earned money out of town’, he said.

Speaking to the Express, RBWM’s cabinet member for Windsor, Cllr Amy Tisi, said: “In terms of the cleanliness and maintenance of car parks, ultimately, the budgets for things like this were removed under the last administration.

“We’re seeing the knock-on effect of that. It’s an area that’s really suffered.

“I think there’s been a gradual decline of a lot of our buildings and resources.

“These things are not going to get back up to the standard we want overnight.”

Speaking on the rough-sleeper issue, Cllr Tisi said she believes Victoria Street car park was being used for this around this time last year too – and that the matter must be handled carefully.

“People who are street homeless will be facing a number of very complex [problems],” she said. “If people move on, where do they go next?

“Sometimes people are not entitled to any support [from RBWM], or sometimes they refuse support.

“Where we can help them, we will [but] it’s a tricky situation.”