Van still stuck in stacked car park despite repair

A fault that left a business's van trapped in a mechanical stacked car park in central London more than two years ago has been fixed - but the vehicle is yet to be released.

Double Parking Systems, which maintains the automated system at Rathbone Square, said "vehicle access was fully restored on 15 March 2025" after lengthy delays sourcing specialist parts.

After the BBC reported that HCS Furniture's van had been stuck there since December 2022, two residents got in contact to say their vehicles were also trapped - with one estimating 40 remain inside.

Rathbone Square's management firm, CBRE, said it hoped to receive further information to update residents on how to retrieve their vehicles.

Steve Davies, the co-owner of HCS Furniture in Buckinghamshire, whose Vauxhall van remains stranded in the car park, said the organisations involved had been "dragging their heels" over the issue.

"They could have got the vehicles out but they've chosen not to," Mr Davies said.

He said there had been "very little" information from CBRE and he had only learned the car parking system had been repaired when told by the BBC.

"[I feel] annoyed that we're being played with and that all of the money for all of the claims are just escalating on - getting more and more all the time they're delaying it," Mr Davies said.

He said the business was unable to claim on its insurance for the more than £40,000 spent on renting a replacement van and subsequent purchase of a new one until theirs is released and an organisation in the dispute is held liable.

The business co-owner said he thinks the delays could be down to insurers working out who will pay the owners of the trapped vehicles.

"Hopefully we can get back to normal," Mr Davies added.

In January 2024, a barrister for one insurance company told Mr Davies that a forensic scientist had inspected the system to determine the fault and that the report would be sent to him, but it never arrived.

The BBC is aware of at least two insurance companies involved in the issue but neither responded to a request for comment.

In response to the length of time taken for the repairs, a Double Parking Systems spokesperson said the firm was "not involved in the design, manufacture, or installation of the system" and its role had been "strictly limited to maintenance and repair services, as directed by the managing agent".

"When a major fault occurred in December 2022, we responded quickly - attending the site within hours and submitting repair quotations shortly after.

"Unfortunately, the main causes of delay in resolving the issue were prolonged procurement approval processes and delays in receiving specialised parts from overseas suppliers - factors entirely outside of our control," the spokesperson said.

They added: "While we regret how long it took to restore access, we acted in good faith at every stage and proceeded with repairs as soon as we were authorised and equipped to do so.

"We remain fully committed to supporting the reliability, safety, and performance of the parking system moving forward."

A spokesperson for KLAUS Multiparking, the company that installed the car park, said the firm "responded immediately after the problem became known and initiated the necessary measures to procure replacement parts".

"We have no control over when and how the necessary measures will be co-ordinated and implemented on site," they added.

Asked what his message was to those running Rathbone Square's management, CRBE, Mr Davies said: "Well, first and foremost, can we have [the van] back?"

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