Members of the Southampton and District Motorcycle Club fear for club's future, saying ;lack of on site parking at its town centre base has led to a decline in numbers

Members of the Southampton and District Motorcycle Club cannot understand why they cannot use Eastleigh College’s car park, next door to their new base in the town.

The club fears for its future, saying its lack of onsite parking has led to a decline in numbers.

It believes the college’s refusal may have something to do with bikers’ hell-raising reputation.

However, they are pleading with bosses to reconsider, arguing they are in fact a responsible family club.

The organisation moved to the community centre in Cranbury Road a year ago because Eastleigh Borough Council wanted to use its former headquarters in Woodside Avenue for development.

This was the only alternative site the club says it was offered and it spent £30,000 – most of its savings – refurbishing the centre.

But they hit a stumbling block due to the new site only having 13 parking spaces, which they say is not enough for the 50 regulars who meet on Friday evenings.

With limited road parking, much of it for permit-holders, members are being forced to drive around for up to 15 minutes to find a space, park further away and walk some distance to and from their cars late at night.

Club chiefs say this is having a negative impact, with new members not coming back and the loss of around 12 regulars so far.

Limited spaces at the motorcycle club's base

They say the college car park is used every other week night and fear their parking is inconveniencing residents whose spaces they are forced to use.

The not-for-profit club, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last month, says it has tried to speak with Eastleigh College but has got nowhere.

Club president Brian Rawlings said if the situation continued longterm the club might fold.

“It would be sad,” said Mr Rawlings. There’s a lot of history that would disappear.

“It’s frustrating when we see a huge empty car park – we’re not exactly Hell’s Angels.”

Dr Jan Edrich, college principal, said the college had major concerns that the car park is next to a sheltered housing complex for the elderly the noise of the motorbikes being driven around the car park was likely to disturb and the additional cost of providing security for the site.

She said to open the site for the club the college would need to pay for its security company to be there.

The college did later say that if the group were prepared to pay the cost of the security it might be able to reconsider the situation.