In recessionary times, most people are loathe to pay additional bills.

However a group of Hampstead Garden Suburb residents are campaigning to bring costly parking restrictions into their area.

The bunch of disgruntled residents are at the end of their tether as non-residents are taking up parking spots on their streets.

So much so, they asked Barnet Council to conduct a survey of residents in the area to see whether they can extend the controlled parking zone (CPZ) further into the Suburb.

There is currently a CPZ in effect on Temple Grove Way between 11am and 12pm every day. However, this means that neighbouring roads like Hampstead Way are being used to park.

One Hampstead Way resident, who is on a committee campaigning for the CPZ on the street but wished to remain anonymous, said: “The essence is that Hampstead Way is being used as a car park.

“People who park here include shopkeepers, builders who leave their lorries here and garages who leave cars they are working on here.”

“Temple Fortune Lane residents also park here so they don’t have to pay the CPZ charge.”

“The majority of people who park here are not residents, so what do you do?”

A neighbour on the same street, who was against the extension of the CPZ and also did not want to be named, said: ”I’m against it. It’s mainly the expense of it. We don’t want pay more charges. It’s just another form of taxation.

“Also, it cannot work if it’s just for an hour. People will just park after 12pm.”

Once a CPZ is brought in, residents will have to pay �100 per year for the right to park in their own street while visitors will have to pay over �4 per voucher.

Neighbouring residents were also opposed.

Elizabeth Kocan of parallel Willified Way, said: “I don’t want it. It’s not necessary. There are enough roads to park on. It is expensive for friends to visit.”

Helen Naftalin, of Wildwood Road, said: “I’m against it. It’s hard enough to park anyway. I have to do a lot of walking to go where I want.”

Meanwhile, Robert Evans, of Temple Fortune Grove, whose home falls within the CPZ, was against the charges. He said: “When the cost for a permit was increased from �40 to �100, I parked on Sheridan Walk. However, I got my tyres stabbed twice, so I paid for the permit.”

A council spokesman said: “Following feedback from residents in Hampstead Garden Suburb about parking issues in Hampstead Way, the council sent out around 460 questionnaires to homes in the area to help us gain an accurate picture about how parking in the area could be improved dependent on the responses received as part of the survey.”

The findings of the surveys are being analysed and will be presented to the Finchley and Golders Green area environment sub-committee on October 16.