SIDE ROAD WAITING: Heathrow’s PSPO approach could offer lessons for Liverpool‘s airport taxi and private hire parking problems
- Perry Richardson
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
Residents on Hale Road in Speke say taxi drivers and holidaymakers are creating a nuisance by using the street as a waiting zone for Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The problem has grown as people seek to avoid parking fees at the airport, with black cabs, private hire vehicles and holidaymakers’ cars all lining the residential street.
Tensions have escalated in recent days after Liverpool Echo reports of cars being targeted, with windows smashed and tyres slashed. Residents now want action to restore order and prevent further disruption.
London Heathrow Airport faced similar problems with drivers waiting in unauthorised areas near local communities. To address this, the airport worked with local authorities to bring in Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). These orders are legal tools that allow councils to set conditions on behaviour in a defined area. Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence, with offenders facing fixed penalty fines or prosecution.
At Heathrow, PSPOs in the Hillingdon area restricted idling, unauthorised waiting and nuisance behaviour around areas bordering the airport. The legal backing made enforcement easier for both council officers and police, ensuring that drivers could not use nearby residential roads as waiting zones.
Liverpool could consider a similar approach. A PSPO covering Hale Road and surrounding areas could ban unauthorised parking, loitering or vehicle idling linked to airport activity. Enforcement would then sit with councils and Merseyside Police, giving them clear authority to issue fines and take action against those ignoring the restrictions.
Introducing a PSPO would require public consultation and evidence that the behaviour is having a detrimental effect on the community. With residents already reporting damage to vehicles and long-running nuisance, the case for such an order could be strong.
While enforcement alone will not solve the underlying demand for cheap airport parking and waiting space, a PSPO could provide immediate relief to residents by deterring drivers from using Hale Road as an unofficial holding area. Longer-term, Liverpool John Lennon Airport may also need to expand official waiting and parking facilities to give drivers and passengers a more lawful alternative.
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