A MAJOR survey has exposed the scale of 'dangerous' parking problems in Wantage and Grove, the authors claim.

Wantage and Grove Campaign Group for sustainable development is hoping the results will force developers to build more parking spaces on new housing estates.

Nearly 600 residents responded to the questionnaire over the past three months.

Of those, more than 97 per cent own a car and more than 60 per cent own at least two vehicles.

The campaign group says this highlights the inadequacy of Vale of White Horse District Council's policy that new homes only need to have one parking space per dwelling up to two bedrooms, and beyond that all parking spaces considered 'on merit'.

Some seven per cent of responders to the survey said they had no private parking at all and had to park on the street or in public car parks.

Campaign manager Julie Mabberley said: "We have been telling everyone that the residential parking policy in Oxfordshire is a problem for a long time. Now we have the proof.

"Parking is a serious problem in Wantage and Grove and residents suggest that it creates a danger to public safety.

"The lack of adequate parking facilities forces residents and visitors to park on narrow roads. This creates a dangerous environment for both drivers and pedestrians and severely hampers access for both council services and emergency vehicles."

The group has called on the Vale to ignore Oxfordshire County Council's 'maximum parking spaces policy' which it currently adheres to, and instead follow government guidance to build adequate spaces to meet local need.

The county policy states that no new house in South Oxfordshire or Vale of White Horse should have more than two allocated parking spaces, no matter how many bedrooms it has.

It also sets a maximum limit on the number of unallocated parking spaces in any new housing development at 2.4 per house – even if the houses themselves do not have dedicated parking spaces.

Ms Mabberley said: "With the growing lack of infrastructure, from schools and health services to leisure facilities and public transport, cars are becoming increasingly important to the lives of those in Wantage and Grove. We must rely on the planners to ensure that sufficient space is provided to ensure road safety and access as well as sufficient parking spaces."

A spokesman for the Vale said: "As it is the highways authority, it's important that we refer to the county council’s latest policies relating to car parking for new developments.

"Any updates the county council makes to its policies to reflect government guidance would then apply to developments in the Vale.

"Wantage Town Council is currently working on its Neighbourhood Plan, which is the most appropriate place for local variations on district-wide policies."