There’s good news for car owners living in the Park District area of Weymouth – the allocation of residents parking permits is changing for the better.
In response to a residents’ petition in 2018, organised by The Park Community Centre, Dorset Council carried out consultation with on-street parking permit holders in Zone A and C.
It was recognised by the community group that there is an imbalance between the availability of spaces and the number of cars seeking to park in the area, a view supported by Dorset Council.
In Autumn 2019, residents, businesses, hotel/guesthouses and other stakeholders were asked how they felt about changing the parking permit allocation to make it more effective and alleviate the strain on parking in the area.
Four amendments are being introduced to the residents parking scheme in Zone A and C as a result of the consultation:
- Hotels, guest houses, holiday homes and Airbnb accommodation within Zone A & C will be removed from the eligibility criteria. These premises will now only be able to purchase permits for the Swannery Car Park, with guests able to use 10-minute unloading time to drop luggage and check-in
- Residential properties will be restricted to a maximum of two on-street permits per household
- Properties with private driveways will be restricted to one permit per household
- The one-hour maximum wait period for on-street parking is being shortened, it will now be from 9am to 6pm. Between 6pm and 9am parking will be for residents permit holders only with no waiting period
The pricing of residents parking permits is not changing and anyone with additional vehicles needing an extra permit will be able to buy a Swannery Car Park permit.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment said: “Although we’re unable to create new parking spaces in this densely populated area, we can make changes to our permit system to favour residents and make it easier for them to find a parking space.
“The available parking space may not be directly outside your home, as there is still such high demand in the area, but this new allocation will provide more space across the permit zone.
“We recognise it will take time for accommodation providers in the area to adapt to this new system, but we feel that this arrangement will be a much more positive experience for visitors – who currently have to circle the area and join the fierce competition for an on-street parking space.
“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to our consultation and who attended our drop-in sessions at the community centre, you’ve helped us shape this permit scheme and make it more effective.”
The consultation
As part of the consultation a review of spaces and existing permits holder was undertaken. It was calculated that there are 526 spaces for vehicles within zones A & C with 698 permits in circulation – 147 of these for businesses in the area – as well as there being a number of visitor permits in use each day.
During the seven-week consultation, 273 questionnaires were completed and returned.
On the issue of businesses being provided with alternative parking arrangement, there was large support for the re-location of hotel and guest house permits by respondents who identified themselves as residents, with 85 per cent supporting this option.
Respondents who identified themselves at guest house or hotel owners were less supportive, with 15 per cent supporting this option.
The overall response rate in support of this proposal was 74 per cent.
When responding to the option of limiting the number of parking permits per household, overall, 73 per cent of respondents agreed that there should be a restriction. With 71 per cent of residents and 74 per cent of hotel/guest-hours owners in support of the idea.
When asked how many permits it should be restricted to, 26 per cent of respondents stated one and 63 per cent stated two.
Seventy-seven per cent of respondents agreed that houses with a private driveway should be excluded from the permit scheme.
