Devon County Council

From Adrian Lane, Exeter 383262, November 19, 2008

WORK will start on extending the residents' parking zone restrictions in the St Thomas area of Exeter on Monday 24 November.

The scheme, which will be implemented in early December, will convert unrestricted waiting areas within the zone to either residents' parking or limited waiting bays.

Changes are also being made to the return period for the limited waiting bays in order for them to be enforced more easily. Additional no waiting areas are being introduced and some parking bays for blue badge holders are being made mandatory.

The scheme is to be extended to include a small number of terraced properties fronting the turning head in School Road and restrictions are to be altered in Swan Yard, Lawrence Avenue and Prospect Place to maintain access. School Road, between Oxford Street and Cecil Road, is to be made two-way to permit legal passage of bicycles.

Councillor Margaret Rogers, Devon County Council Executive Member for Environment, said: "The main aim of the new restrictions is to remove commuter vehicles from the zone. This same principle is being introduced to the other residents' parking zones throughout Exeter in order to reduce traffic and congestion on the main radial routes by reducing inappropriate parking."

Each household within the zone will be eligible to apply for the following permits, provided they meet the necessary criteria:

Residents' permits cost £12 each and will be limited to two permits per household (council tax eligible property) to ensure an equitable distribution of permits. However, when the scheme is introduced, existing residents will be able to buy as many permits as there are eligible vehicles for their address until Friday 9 January 2009, and can continue to do so for as long as they live there. In this situation, permits MUST be renewed the month before they expire. After that date these will have lapsed and then the first two permit applicants for that address will be issued permits and no more will be allowed for that address.

Builders and a few other service providers are exempt from the restrictions when delivering their services to a resident within the scheme. For example, a plumber repairing a domestic plumbing system in a property could park within the scheme while carrying out his work.

As this type of proposed scheme gives less opportunity for disabled drivers to park within the zone, they are exempt from the residents' parking restrictions in this zone. It is proposed that this exemption for badge holders parking in residents' parking zones be extended to the existing zones in due course.

Should a resident move or their circumstances change so that they no longer meet the criteria for any permit, they must return the permit or permits to Exeter City Council.

Visitor permits will be available to all private households in the area. These permits will be available at a cost of £12 per issue of 30 daily permits, with two issues allowed per year. The visitors' permits will be valid for the day of issue until 10am the next day. The householder is responsible for writing the date, vehicle registration number and any other requested information on the visitor permit.

Business permits will be available for vehicles necessary for the day to day operation of a business within the area of the scheme. They are NOT provided for commuter parking. A maximum of three permits will be available on a sliding scale of £25 for the first, £75 for the second and £150 for the third.

Essential Visitor permits are available free of charge for households which can demonstrate a need for care support, for example, to care for an ailing resident.

Permits can be obtained from Exeter City Council at the Civic Centre, Paris Street, with the necessary documentation described on the appropriate application forms. Application forms for business or essential visitor permits are also available from the Civic Centre.

If you have any queries about the proposed scheme then contact Devon County Council on 01392 385080 and ask for the Exeter Traffic Team.

Notes for Editors:

Councillor Margaret Rogers, 01297 680384.

Councillor Rob Hannaford, 01392 203296.