I AM a resident of Pulteney Road and have lived here over 20 years, like a lot of my neighbours.

When the gymnastic school started it did not cause the residents too many problems; we could live in harmony. But over the last five years the school has expanded so much that it now causes the residents a lot of problems with parking.

Miss K. Leighton, who runs the school, told a council meeting that 500 children a week attend the school, and the council has told us that Miss Leighton had 1,000 visitor permits a month. That is a lot of people attending a gymnastic school in a residential area.

I think the problem is that the school has outgrown the area. We have had to live with this parking problem seven days a week. Since January it is six days a week. This is a residential street and not a business estate.

Anna Edwards (Parking curb could force closure of gym,' Guardian, January 24) says that we do not have the right to park outside our own front door. We know this, but as we have to pay to park we would like at least to park in the street.This is not when the Gymnastic school is issuing visitors permits.

Unfortunately we do not have garages or front gardens that we could park our cars on. We have no option but to park in the road, as the council member pointed out at the meeting.

Anna Edwards also says there are no public car parks in the local area. This is untrue. There are two car parks near South Woodford station in Mulberry Way, but the parents don't seem to want to park there and walk down Pulteney Road. There is also pay-and-display in Marlborough Road.

I do wonder what visitors to the gymnastic school did when commuters were parked here all day long. They somehow managed then.

MRS A. E. MASTERS,

Pulteney Road,

South Woodford.