PEOPLE living near the new MoD base in Corsham are delighted that Wiltshire Council has approved parking restrictions on Westwells Road, which will soon be implemented.

Since the base opened last autumn residents surrounding the £850m communication centre have been complaining because MoD Corsham’s staff have been parking on both sides of Westwells Road.

Now the recommendations have been approved they will see double yellow lines painted on one side of Westwells Road at its southern end, in front of homes, banning parking there between 11am-1pm Mondays-Saturdays, in a bid to stop cars being left there all day.

More yellow lines will ban parking at all times on the remainder of the stretch of road. Waiting for 30 minutes will be allowed outside Westwells Post Office between 8am-6pm.

Cllr Peter Davis said: “We have had a lot of problems with the employees of the MoD using the road as opposed to their own on-site parking.

“It was starting to become an increasingly dangerous issue especially with heavy goods vehicles going up and down the road.

“We really tried hard to encourage staff to use their own appropriate parking but sadly that failed to materialise.

“They had complained bitterly about the difficulty of getting into their own car parks but their security say that isn’t an issue.

“I totally support the recommendations being approved, I know the post office were having problems and some of their customers were having trouble parking.”

Cllr Davis said that Wiltshire Council had fast-tracked the plans to resolve the issue and that the lines, as well as the other new restrictions, will come into force in the next few weeks.

Lesley Harris, owner of Westwells Post Office and Villages Stores, said: “We are very pleased that these new measures are being introduced as the MoD parking problems had caused a downturn in business.

“We have campaigned very hard for the double yellow lines and to stop MoD staff blocking the road.”

Senior staff at MoD Corsham have said that they are happy the parking matter is nearly resolved.