Furious residents and business owners are fighting plans to close a Canning Town car park.

Newham Recorder: Businesses fear they will have to close if the car park goes (photo: Arnaud Stephenson)Businesses fear they will have to close if the car park goes (photo: Arnaud Stephenson) (Image: Archant)

Newham Council intend to build 216 houses on the Maud Street site as part of the Rathbone Market development project, despite complaints from locals that the parking situation is already ‘chaotic’.

Business owners fear that they will have to shut up shop as many customers require parking.

Celia Hammond, of the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, called it ‘dreadful and disastrous’ and expressed her concern about the impact of transporting animals to the clinic if the plans go ahead.

She said: “I don’t know how we will be able to provide a service to the public.

Newham Recorder: Businesses fear they will have to close if the car park goes (photo: Arnaud Stephenson)Businesses fear they will have to close if the car park goes (photo: Arnaud Stephenson) (Image: Archant)

“We are all fighting for our survival but no one is listening to us.”

Barking Road Londis owner, Mohammed Mehrdan, said: “We have problems parking anyway, but without car parking we will have to close.”

Their fears were shared by the residents of Aviary Close, next to the proposed development site.

Stan Spring said: “It is chaos up here now since they closed part of the car park. We are frightened to go out because we could lose our parking space.”

Over 1,000 people have signed a petition to save the Maud Street car park ahead of the objection deadline on Friday 10th October.

A council spokesman said: “Maud Street Car Park is closing to make way for the final phase of the £3.7 billion Rathbone Market Redevelopment, which will see more than 200 homes created on the site.

“The council is working to ensure that local businesses are not negatively impacted and local councillors, in consultation with a forum of local businesses, have identified a number of measures to ensure that parking spaces in the area meet the needs of shoppers and visitors.

“The proposals will see a number of new visitor parking bays created including 20 new short-stay spaces on Oak Crescent and Malmesbury Road. These parking spaces will be in addition to the 15 existing short-stay spaces on Ordnance Road and Hermit Road.”