New short-stay parking bays for Residential Parking Zone

The changes come into force on Westmoreland and Oldfield Park on August 29

Author: Oliver MorganPublished 18th Aug 2023
Last updated 29th Jun 2024

Bath & North East Somerset Council will be introducing around 60 new short stay parking bays for when a new experimental parking order comes into force.

From the 29th of August, a new Residents Parking Zone will be in place on Westmoreland and Oldfield Park.

The changes will come into place following requests from ward councillors, local businesses, and residents, and will be trialled for six months before a decision's made on whether or not to make it permanent.

Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport, said: “We have worked closely with local people to ensure parking in the area is allocated fairly and proportionately. We need to prioritise residents but also ensure visitors can continue to support local businesses and organisations in the area.

“After the formal consultation closed and the Traffic Regulation Order was sealed, we received requests from the community, including the area’s ward councillors, for more provision for visitors.

“We have listened carefully to feedback on the balance of provision and we have decided to introduce more short-stay visitor parking bays through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order. The changes to this scheme will be made on a trial basis, from launch, and we are really keen to hear people’s feedback once the RPZ is up and running."

The trial will introduce around 60 extra short-stay visitor bays near popular amenities, with maximum stays of up to 2 or 3 hours.

Many of these bays can also be used by resident permit holders to park for unlimited periods.

The council is urging residents to check their eligibility and apply for resident parking permits in good time ahead of the RPZ coming into force.

The annual cost of permits can vary depending on a vehicle’s emissions but, as a guide, a permit for an average eight-year-old 1.6L petrol or diesel family car would normally cost in the range of £100 to £125 per year.

The RPZ on Westmoreland and Oldfield Park will be in force 7 days a week (not including bank holidays) between 8am and 6pm, with permits limited to a maximum of two per property, depending on the type of property.

Six new zones have already been installed in Bath this year following widespread consultation, with the aim of tackling anti-social driving and commuter parking in residential streets, as well as being done in the hope of making a positive environmental impact.

You can find out more about the changes here, and you can apply for a permit on the B&NES Council website.

Read more: More resident parking zones for Bath

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