Park Ward Conservative Councillors Arfan Khan and Murtaza Ahmed Munir have acted quickly to address concerns raised by local residents following the opening of the new Family Time Centre at Derby House.
Derby House, on Derby Drive, has recently been converted into a Family Time Centre, providing supervised contact sessions for children and families. The facility replaces the former Family Time Centre at the Welland Centre, with the move designed to provide larger, more modern facilities and increased capacity for this important service. Derby House itself was previously used as a children's home for disabled children before later becoming the base for Peterborough Pathways.
However, since the centre opened this week, a number of local residents have contacted their councillors with concerns about increased traffic, parking pressures and the behaviour of some visitors in surrounding residential streets.
Listening to those concerns, Cllrs Arfan Khan and Murtaza Munir visited Derby House and met with the centre's manager, Sam, to discuss the issues and explore practical ways of reducing the impact on neighbouring residents.
Following the meeting, the councillors said:
"Thank you to everyone who got in touch to share your concerns about parking and visitor behaviour around the new Family Time Centre at Derby House. Listening to residents and acting on your concerns is an important part of representing our community.
"We had a positive and constructive meeting with the centre's manager, Sam, and were reassured that they understand the impact on local residents and are committed to working with the community to address these concerns.
"The centre has agreed to encourage visitors to be considerate of neighbours and will continue reviewing how the site operates to help minimise disruption. Staff are also being encouraged to car share while longer-term parking solutions are explored.
"We will remain in regular contact with the centre and continue to monitor the situation. Thank you again to everyone who raised their concerns. By working together, we can help ensure the centre provides an important service whilst also being a good neighbour to our community."
The councillors have welcomed the positive response from the management team and will continue working with residents and the Family Time Centre to ensure concerns are addressed as the facility becomes established.
If you are experiencing ongoing issues relating to the centre, please continue to let your local Park Ward Conservative councillors know so they can raise them on your behalf.