Residents vote to bring in four parking permit schemes in Cambridge

Four areas of Cambridge are set to get residents' parking schemes after the majority of people who responded to a consultation supported their introduction.

The public consultation asked residents to comment on schemes in the Accordia, Staffordshire, Coleridge (West) and Newnham areas.

Preliminary results show the majority of respondents in all four areas are in favour of their respective schemes: 87 per cent in Accordia, 96 per cent in Staffordshire, 53 per cent in Coleridge West and 66 per cent in Newnham.

The consultation was run by the county council and funded by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP). It was carried out between October 23 and December 4. In Accordia 33 per cent of residents responded, in Staffordshire 29 per cent, in Newnham 36 per cent and in Coleridge West 16 per cent.

Cllr Francis Burkitt, chair of the GCP board, said: “We agreed to work with residents in areas without residents’ parking schemes to ask whether they’d like one introduced, and the GCP was delighted to help in this process by funding the consultation.

“We’ve now heard from residents in the first four areas to be consulted on, and I’m delighted that residents’ majority support has justified our facilitation of this process.”

The consultation results will now be thoroughly reviewed and considered before the final parking plans are developed.

Cllr Mathew Shuter, chairman of the county council’s highways committee, said: “The results and feedback we have received show that, in general, residents support the proposed plans and, if implemented, they will give residents priority parking in their area while taking into account the needs of local businesses and community facilities.

“The road safety improvements that a resident parking scheme brings aim to reduce congestion, reduce air pollution, and generally improve the local environment for everyone.”

Breakdowns of the four consultations and answers to the frequently asked questions about residents’ parking schemes are available to review at cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

The GCP has previously confirmed that it will pay the set-up costs of the parking zones. Permit charges for residents, who will be able to have two or three permits per home, would range from £52 to £98.