The Holy Family Catholic Church in Maidstone has issued a stern warning via new signs, stating that anyone parking on the premises without visiting the church will be fined.

The church's car park has become increasingly congested in recent months due to ongoing construction of new homes across the street. Locals argue that they have no alternative but to park at the church, a practice they claim has been unchallenged for decades, due to the builders' vans occupying the usual spaces.

It is also claimed that visitors to the area and parents collecting children from the neighbouring school depend on these parking spaces.

One local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, labelled the church's action as "disgraceful". She stated: "That car park has always been there for people to use it in the 30-plus years I've been here."

She added that the situation had worsened with the new housing development, but insisted this was typical during construction work.

She found the church's refusal to allow locals to park there "disgraceful".

Another local woman, out walking her dog, commented on the escalating traffic issues in the area. "It's become a nightmare when it's school time now or during the day," she said.

"Cars are left on both sides of the road and you can see buses are struggling to get through when it's busy."

She added: "I know people who have used the car park before and there's never been a problem."

A third homeowner in the area said: "With the construction work going on having visitors is now impossible as they have nowhere to park due to all the vans parked along the road."

Another added: "We have lost all of the parking due to redevelopment and now church visitors park along the road and make the problem worse."

In response, Father Desmond Mbidoaka from the Holy Family Catholic Church clarified that their car park is not public property: "We sympathise with residents who previously used both the council park and our car park that was never intended for public use," he expressed.

He also pointed out some residents' misuse of the space: "Some residents had developed the habit of parking there without permission, particularly after losing the council park space."

Father Desmond explained that to ensure the car park serves its intended users, measures were needed: "However, as our private car park was being overwhelmed, we had to take action to protect access for our legitimate users."

The cleric noted the tension over parking escalated after a sizeable local parking area was lost to new housing developments.

Father Desmond detailed why they've enforced stricter parking rules, needing registration of number plates within the church premises due to "problematic parking behaviour" which included unauthorised parking, confrontational attitudes towards church personnel and parishioners, rampant litter issues, and overall negligence of the property's maintenance.

The local community has been experiencing disruptions and an "environment of intimidation" due to parking issues, said Father Desmond.

Labour councillor Dan Wilkinson acknowledged the traffic problems: "I was aware of the problems," affirming his awareness of the challenges faced by the buses on Bicknor Road and the consequential traffic issues.

Wilkinson also commented on the lack of direct complaints regarding the situation: "Although, I've not had any specific complaints about the parking situation in the church car park or the signs that have been erected."

He outlined his steps towards resolution: "As it stands, I'm liaising with Maidstone Borough Council's parking services department, and am attempting to contact the church to see if some solution can be found."

Amid the tension, there's hope for relief: "Fortunately, the situation is only temporary given that it is largely related to the development opposite, though I appreciate the frustration for residents and road users and hope to find a way of easing the situation."

Community members at the church were confronted with new parking enforcement last month. The newsletter informed them straightforwardly: "The cameras for the controlled parking have been installed and the system is now live."

The message stressed the importance of registering vehicles to the parishioners: "It is vitally important that parishioners register their vehicle with the parish."

Instructions for compliance have been laid out, with potential penalties highlighted: "Parishioners with unregistered vehicles, or visitors to the parish, will need to register their vehicle on the tablets being provided in the church and hall."

A stark warning concluded the notice: "Failure to do so will result in a parking fine."