A mysterious Rolls Royce owner has angered residents and businessowners in one of London’s most desirable neighbourhoods after leaving a fleet of luxury cars parked on a street for more than five months.
The vintage cars, which include a white 1980 Silver Shadow II and a gold 1990 Silver Spur, have sparked a fierce backlash in Dulwich Village.
They have been plastered with notes pleading for the owner to move.
One message read: “Congratulations on owning so many Rolls Royces. But we think you’ve mistaken Dulwich Village for a long stay car park. The people who live, work, and shop here don’t like your fancy cars. Take them home please.”
Another said the cars were “annoying everyone in the village” while a third note said that the street was not a “car show room”.
In spite of the backlash, the cars have not been moved with local businesses now complaining that trade is being hindered.
Mary Fraser, owner of Green’s Art Stationers, Toyshop & Gallery on the North Parade, said that the street already has six closed businesses, four of which were independents, with most other shops “hanging on by their fingernails.”
She explained parking is just one of the tough trading conditions that local businesses are tackling.
“Those Rolls Royces are parked in some of the prime free parking spots,” she said, adding that not having free parking is “dangerous” for a shop like hers where everything is available online.
Stuart Harmer, of Bartleys Flowers, told the Standard: “It has impacted us all. It has impacted everybody.”
He added he was not certain the car owner, who first parked in mid-November, even lived in the village.
He said: “Parking is hard enough around here as it is. Those Rolls Royces take up one or two car parking spaces each
“If it was just one Rolls Royce, you could bear it, but four is taking the mick.”
Free parking on the North Parade was replaced with controlled parking around four years ago, requiring motorists to pay for parking via an app. However, poor mobile signal has prevented people from accessing the app, Ms Fraser said.
She explained it makes the free parking spots even more important for traders in the village.
The South Parade still has some free parking spots, but they are few and far between with people treating the village as a “car park”.
Prior to the introduction of controlled parking, Ms Fraser said limousines used to park outside her shop for “two or three days”.
She added: “It’s a lovely safe place to leave a very valuable car in London, but it has become a free car park for people who maybe have a second car.”
Mr Harmer is hopeful that the mysterious Rolls Royce owner will soon be “revealed” but for now, the motorist’s identity remains unknown.
On a local forum, residents have voiced their anger at the luxury fleet. One wrote: “If you can afford to have four expensive cars, surely you can afford to garage them somewhere?”
“I feel very sorry for the local traders losing custom because others can’t park there,” the post read.
Some defended the choice in parking with one writing that the owner was “preserving historic examples of great British engineering.”
A BMW car parked behind the Rolls Royce fleet is also reported to have been handed a note to leave.
Southwark Council’s parking rules mean that vehicles which are taxed, insured, and legally parked cannot be removed from the road.
A council spokesperson said: “The council is aware of the issue raised in Dulwich Village and we do understand this is causing concern with local residents.
“However, the section of the road involved has uncontrolled parking with no parking restrictions in place, therefore anyone with a valid vehicle tax can park there. We do not know who owns the cars but if they are legally on the road they can park in the area and we have no reason to remove them.”
