Stafford residents may have to pay to park outside their homes as part of permit scheme

Forebridge is due to have a new parking permit scheme later this year, a Staffordshire County Council cabinet member revealed this month.

The Castletown area has had a parking permit scheme for several years to assist residents without off street parking who may otherwise struggle to find a space for their vehicle near their home. The Forebridge plans have been in the pipeline for many years and were previously expected to be put in place in 2016/2017.

Stafford borough councillor Chris Baron, who represents the Forebridge ward, said she had been informed parking permits were due to come into force in the area west of Wolverhampton Road in the summer – but there was still no timescale for the eastern area.

“The sooner it is done, the better”, she said. “People are getting really frustrated and it’s the waiting that is frustrating.”

A standard resident, visitor, property owner or business parking permit for a vehicle costs around £49 a year. Permits are free for blue badge holders or carers and there is a 50 per cent discount for pensioners.

Concerns were raised at this month’s full county council meeting about the delays faced by residents who want a permit scheme introduced in their area to tackle parking issues.

Councillor Ron Clarke, who represents Burton Town, asked: “Will the cabinet member for highways help to improve the backlog of new residential parking zone applications? All new applications which meet the criteria will bring in an annual income – this will help to offset some of the financial losses from the car parking revenue due to Covid-19.

“I am fully aware of some of the problems we have of people applying for residential parking, then when they find out the cost they withdraw.

“One of my residents applied for a parking residential zone on behalf of 11 people. They are all fully aware of the costs involved, they want it ASAP – and that was over 12 months ago and they never had a reply.

'Difficult'

“I filled in details myself on behalf of the individual, sent it down through the normal channels. That was over two months ago and I haven’t had a reply.

“Will you ensure that people who take the time to fill out an application form at least have an acknowledgement the council has received it?”

Councillor David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport, said he found it disappointing that the original request had not been acknowledged and asked for the details to be forwarded to him.

In a written response to the question he added: “The county receive a significant number of requests for permit parking schemes (PPS) from local residents every year. Each one is reviewed and prioritised against the criteria outlined in the On-Street Parking Strategy.

“Schemes anticipated to be delivered this year are Forebridge area of Stafford and Hattrell Street in Newcastle under Lyme.

“Permit parking schemes are often difficult to implement quickly. It is not uncommon for us to receive mixed responses to the scheme from residents once the operational restrictions and costs of joining and annual membership have been worked through.

“The council does not generate a net income from its on-street parking activities. Permit parking scheme charges contribute to the operating costs performed by the council’s parking team, which is also responsible for responding to day to day activities, regulatory functions and potential pay and display schemes.

“However, the current impact of Covid has seen a reduction in demand for some of these other activities, meaning that more resources are currently able to be directed towards progression of potentially viable permit parking schemes.

“The upfront costs of design, legal adverts and the onsite signing and lining measures can also be a barrier to the viability of a permit parking scheme. Recently, this has been overcome by securing developer contributions, such as at Cherry Blossom in Hednesford and a future scheme earmarked for Castle Brickworks in Stafford.”