THE removal of traffic cones from a road that connects to James Paget University Hospital has led to fears that parking problems will return to the area.

For the last few weeks, the cones had been on either side of the street at the end of Jenner Road closest to the Gorleston hospital after being put down by unknown residents.

Their placement follows long-running issues for many living in the area, who say they have nowhere to park because the street is used by staff at the hospital, which charges for car parking.

However, last Tuesday they had vanished, removed by road owners Persimmon Homes Anglia in a move which sparked concern that the problem would return and become worse thanks to a new crossing on the A12.

One resident, who did not want to be named, accepted the entrance to the hospital should be used for emergency situations.

However he said that the original plans for the entrance had been developed when it was thought the estate would be a purely industrial, rather than residential, one.

Claiming that the cones had made a “marvellous difference” to the street, which is currently private but in the process of being adopted by Norfolk County Council, he said:

“It really cut the traffic down. Why should we be an annex to the hospital? They don’t give us anything for it. It starts at 6am when the people from the hospital come and park around here.

“It’s every day and weekends as well and you get confrontations, and now we have a new pedestrian crossing on the A12 that I think will make life more difficult.

“If drivers see it’s a red light they will choose to go down Jenner Road to get to the hospital instead.”

The installation and removal of the cones follows on from meetings about the parking overspill issue late last year and hopes there could be a resolution to the problem.

In January, yellow lines were introduced on Gresham Close, also affected, preventing parking between 6am-6pm from Monday to Friday.

A spokesman for Persimmon Homes Anglia said: “Although we appreciate why the local residents used cones stop hospital employees parking, unfortunately we had to remove the temporary measure as it caused further safety issues at a junction further along the road.

“We are seeking to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of the local community and are therefore in liaison with the council and representatives from James Paget Hospital, to encourage them to instigate appropriate parking measures.”

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