Wrexham Kop expansion approved amid warnings over parking and residents’ safety

Councillors backed the increase from 5,500 seats after hearing claims that wheelchair users had been forced into roads and struck by vehicles, while residents had faced confrontations with fans parking near their homes.

The club’s own research suggests the larger stand would generate at least 1,700 additional car journeys into the city on matchdays, despite proposals to encourage public transport and use of city centre parking.

Cllr Phil Wynn, who supported the expansion, criticised a late report from highways officers questioning whether a residents-only matchday parking scheme could be introduced and how effective it would be.

Officers warned that restrictions could push parking problems into neighbouring streets. But Cllr Wynn argued that protecting residential roads would encourage supporters to use the alternatives set out in the club’s travel plan.

Wrexham council’s planning committee approved the expansion on Monday with a commitment to investigate the viability of a residents’ matchday parking scheme near the Racecourse.

The original proposals included enhanced park-and-ride services, use of private city centre car parks and matchday parking restrictions for residential streets.

The restrictions were intended to address a forecast that fans could occupy 97% of residential parking spaces near the ground.

However, a late addendum from highways officers said a residents’ scheme could not be guaranteed because it would require a traffic regulation order and consultation, during which residents could object.

Officers also argued that the scheme would neither increase transport capacity nor reduce demand to travel to the stadium by car.

“There’s a risk that matchday parking could be displaced into areas not covered by the scheme and so relocating the impact rather than fully mitigating for it,” they said.

Cllr Wynn welcomed the club’s ambition to develop a stadium fit for the Premier League but said the addendum had left him feeling “deflated” on behalf of residents.

Parking restrictions

“When I read the report last week, it clearly addressed the solution – residential parking in the side streets near to the stadium,” he said.

“I am deflated that officers have decided to delete all reference to that solution.

“Other local authorities employ matchday residents parking schemes legally throughout this country so why can’t Wrexham? I do accept that it will not provide any additional transport capacity.”

He argued that restrictions would give fans a reason to reconsider how they travelled.

“However, if fans cannot park near to the stadium, one hopes they will follow the guidance of the travel plan that’s been provided by the club and they will look for alternative methods of travelling to the club, be it by train, by bus or by sharing more people in a car.”

Responding to concerns about displaced parking, he said the club’s reports suggested supporters would use city centre car parks.

“If fans cannot park in residential side streets one hopes they are actually displaced into the city centre,” he said.

Cllr Wynn told members he had spoken to the council’s chief officer for environment that morning and had been told a residents’ matchday parking scheme was not a strategic interest of the department.

“There is a solution offered to you in the original report and now somebody has decided to put a line through that,” he said.

Safety concerns

Cllr Wynn said the problems went beyond inconvenience for people living near the stadium.

“We’ve got video evidence of people in wheelchairs being forced to ride in the middle of the road and there have been incidences where people in wheelchairs have been hit. That’s totally unacceptable.”

He also raised concerns that double parking could prevent emergency vehicles from reaching homes.

“There’s also concerns at times over people double parking, which means residents are deeply concerned that fire engines and blue light vehicles will struggle to get into their estates.”

Cllr Wynn said a survey carried out around three years ago, when the original Kop proposals came before the committee, found that about 40% of responding households in his ward reported an altercation with a fan.

“I have even had a similar experience,” he said.

“People urinate in people’s gardens, people dump their rubbish out their cars.

“So if those fans are no longer on the streets simply because there is a residents parking scheme then you as a committee will actually give a lot of reassurance to the residents I represent and also other residents that are in other wards.”