Residential permit parking review gets underway

An independent review of all residential parking zones in Bury St Edmunds is now underway.

West Suffolk Council announced in October that it would start work on a review following the impact of civil parking enforcement in the town.

The council has appointed the 2020 Consultancy who will be asked to develop and consult on a series of options that will seek to improve the ability of residents to park in the designated permit areas.

The consultants will start work on surveying usage in the coming weeks that will identify capacity and highway related issues.

The review will engage with local residents, businesses, and key stakeholders on how the current schemes are working and what improvements can be made. Consultation will start by the end of May and a final report will be presented to councillors in the Autumn.

The council is responsible for issuing permits for residential parking zones but doesn’t have the authority under the existing scheme to refuse valid applications. It does warn people purchasing a permit that it cannot guarantee them a space.

Multiple checks of residency are made at the point of application to ensure permits and vouchers are not bought by anyone who isn’t a resident. Visitor passes are also currently available as some residents have people that come to support them in their home for things such as cleaning, and for friends and family visiting them at their home address.

The council has been enforcing existing parking regulations since April 2020 when powers transferred over from the police. Many of these restrictions have been in place for a number of years but regular enforcement of illegal parking has only occurred since the introduction of these new powers to the council.

The council does not get to pick and choose which restrictions it should enforce but does have new powers to make changes to terms and conditions of each resident permit scheme.

Councillor Peter Stevens, Cabinet Member for Operations at West Suffolk Council, said: “We recognise that finding a place to park is a real issue for many residents living close to Bury St Edmunds town centre. Many of the houses were built when car ownership was much lower than it is now, and some were built before the car was invented so we have every sympathy with residents and sadly we don’t have easy answers. It is a complex issue and 2020 Consultancy have been asked to look at this independently and to come up with a series of options to consult on with residents in the permit zones.”