Residents on Arne Road in Walsgrave, Coventry, were left baffled when the enormous bright green parcel locker was ‘plonked’ on their quiet street – and say it has not been used once since it appeared
Homeowners have voiced their fury after a garish bright green parcel locker was unexpectedly installed in the middle of a residential cul-de-sac.
Residents on Arne Road in Walsgrave, Coventry, were left baffled when the enormous locker was “plonked” on their peaceful street on April 10.
The delivery point, which is battery run and solar-powered, belongs to Yeep! – a specialist in delivery lockers – yet has been positioned half a mile from the nearest shop.
Locals claim they were initially informed that a concrete base had been laid for a new salt box, only to be left outraged upon discovering the 8ft (2.4m) “eyesore” installed just yards from their living rooms.
John and Suzanna Davies, who reside just a few doors away from where the locker was erected, reckon it hasn’t been used even once.
John, 77, said: “Everybody is up in arms about it, all the residents.
“It’s on the lawn that’s tended by the residents themselves. All the gardens are kept prim and proper around here and we take pride in the area.
“There were small parcels of land when the estate was built and a company had the rights to them. They put them up for sale and people bought them up.
“A chap in Kenilworth bought this land. A couple of months ago he was around scratching in the soil. When asked what he was doing he said the council asked him to do it as they were putting a salt box there.
“We all thought that was a tremendous idea, we always need salt boxes.
“They put a concrete base in but then this great big box appeared. He’s completely pulled the wool over our eyes so he could drop it in there without us knowing or getting in his way.
“Nobody can understand it all, it’s not next to a supermarket. It’s not like people can easily come and go to pick up and drop off parcels. It’s in front of someone’s home, blocking their front window and getting in the way.
“It’s in a residential area, there’s been no planning permission for it. It was chucked up around two-weeks-ago, but we don’t know who intends to use it.
“We’ve not seen any use of it in that time either. There’s a bingo hall around half a mile away with a supermarket and they have plenty of lockboxes there. So why do we need this one here, with nothing around it?
“The council came out the next day and said they’d do the best to get it moved.”
Suzanna, 57, a mum-of-one working in admin and finance at a school, fumed: “It’s outrageous, we were on holiday and when we got back it was there, plonked in the middle.
“We all care for where we live. There’s pretty flowers and we all help with the mowing, which will make it a bit hard to do.
“It’s all resident parking only, so there’s more risk of traffic and a danger to kids. Who wants to live near that?”
Lynda Congrave, 79, who has resided on the street for four decades, believes the locker poses a serious risk to local children.
Lynda said: “I can’t believe it’s right outside my living room window. It’s disgusting.
“I used to be able to check in on my friend across the road by looking through her front room – now I can’t see past this block.
“It blocks my view from this window and I’m all concerned about the young children who play around here.
“We have no problem with them but if cars are going to come speeding down to drop parcels in there, they’re only young kids.
“They might run out and there could be somebody run over. We don’t want that risk here.”
Coventry City Council has confirmed the structure is currently being investigated to establish whether it was put up without proper authorisation.
A spokesman for Coventry City Council said: “Nothing further to say at this stage, the matter is under investigation and officers have contacted the landowner and locker company.”
Yeep! were approached for comment.
