OFFICERS have apologised for allowing motorists to park on grass to access a vaccination centre without informing councillors.

A grassy area to the right of Salt Hill Park vaccination centre became a mud pit after officials allowed parking on it to give more people access to get their Covid jab and relieve traffic congestion.

During the peak of the major vaccination programme, the Covid centre managers, public health figures, the police, and volunteers expressed “serious concerns” about traffic coming into Salt Hill’s car park that was causing “absolute chaos”.

Cars were being backed up onto the A4 when vehicles were unable to park during peak times. Action was needed as getting people jabbed was a “high priority” which led to the grass area by the centre being used as additional car parking.

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However, this was done without the trustees knowing and has muddied up the grassy area as well as losing a flowerbed in the process.

At a trustee committee on Monday, November 29, Ketan Gandhi, associate director of place, who was not present at the meeting, sent his apologies for not informing members about this temporary arrangement.

With the UK undertaking a booster programme in efforts to curb the spread of the newly discovered Omicron variant, members heard the grassed area may need to be used again if demand surges again.

Salt Hill Park car park

Salt Hill Park car park

Councillors said they understood and do not object to using that patch for extra parking but requested to be informed if a decision like this is to be made again.

Councillor Wayne Strutton (Con: Haymill & Lynch Hill) said: “Officers diving in making decisions actually should come to this department first in the appropriate way needs to go on because one of the issues that we have discovered since the trust was formed and why this trust was formed was those decisions weren’t being done properly in the first place.

“The trust is here for a reason. We would ask the officers to note this and to just bear this in mind.”

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Parks officer Gerald Pleace said: “The council regrets that they haven’t consulted the trustees and anything in the future will be consulted.”

It was also heard the NHS did pay to lay down matting on the grass but later took it away without consulting council officers.

Bollards have now been put up to stop motorists from parking on the grass and refurbishment works on the green patch will be undertaken at the cost of the NHS.