Manager of The Ram Inn pub in Cliviger defends decision to ban parents from car park on afternoon 'school run'

Andrew Hitchen took over the running of The Ram Inn pub in Cliviger which is directly opposite the village primary school, St John the Divine, a year ago.

And he was stunned when dozens of people took to a social media group to slate his decision to prevent parents from leaving their vehicles on the car park while they picked their children up.

A swell of protest on a social media post said that not allowing use of the car park has led to vehicles being dangerously double parked, a collision and a number of ‘near misses’, posing a risk to the safety of children and pedestrians.

Mr Hitchen said: “There has been discussion concerning safety, and, of course, the safety of children is something everyone in the community takes seriously.

“However, the management of school pick-up arrangements and road safety in the area ultimately sits with the school and the local council. As a private business, our responsibility is to ensure our premises remain safe, accessible, and suitable for our customers.

“Our car park is private and intended for customer use. To clarify, any parent or visitor who chooses to come into the pub and make a purchase before or after school pick-up is, of course, a customer and is welcome to use the car park.”

Mr Hitchen said he was also happy for the car park to be used in the mornings, before the pub opens.

He said the measures introduced are as a direct result of ongoing issues, particularly in the afternoon, where the ‘volume and manner of parking has impacted access, safety, and the ability for genuine customers to visit the pub.’

He added: “The afternoon pick up is an issue as we are open and this is when we have asked parents to avoid parking.

“In addition, we have experienced anti-social behaviour, littering, and theft when the premises are closed, all of which we are responsible for managing.

“We would also highlight that during school events, our car park is often filled for extended periods of time without any prior notice. This can leave us in a position where paying customers are unable to park or access the premises, which directly impacts our ability to trade.”

The Stonegate Group, that owns the Ram, has suggested stricter parking enforcements involving a third-party system requiring registration or fines.

Mr Hitchen said: “This is not our preferred approach, as we want to maintain a welcoming and straightforward experience for our customers.”

The manager also said he felt that some of the commentary online did not fully reflect the challenges facing a small business, adding: “We are working hard to remain viable in a difficult climate, and these decisions have been made out of necessity, not choice."

A meeting to discuss the issue has now been arranged at the school on Monday, April 13.

Mr Hitchen added that he had been ‘blown away’ by the support from the local community and customers adding: “We are a small family run business and it’s not just a case of us thinking of profit before safety, far from it.

"We just want a compromise between the school and parents which helps everyone.”