Yarm High Street - Residents Parking Scheme guidance notes

Unlike other residents' permit parking schemes within Stockton Borough, the Council does not intend to mark bays specifically for residents use only on Yarm High Street. The purpose of this is to create a flexible scheme for residents rather than limit a set number of designated bays that may not be positioned in the most convenient locations. Vehicles displaying a relevant and valid permit would be eligible to park in any of the parking bays and they will be exempt from parking controls in place (excluding bays designated for specific types of vehicle such as Disabled, Police, Taxi).

Residents

A maximum of two permits available for vehicle owners registered to an address that does not have any parking provision other than on Yarm High Street in line with planning criteria for parking standards.

Visitors 

In the form of voucher scratch cards for use by visitors to those residents that do not have any parking provision other than on Yarm High Street. Those residents that have one off street private parking space but no provision for visitors would also be eligible to purchase visitor vouchers.

If you have a valid residents parking permit or visitor voucher for a car or van displayed on the front windscreen of your vehicle by the tax disc, you can park in any of the marked bays on Yarm High Street. You can park for as long as you wish.

You are not allowed to reserve a specific parking bay or park in a bay designated for a particular class of vehicle e.g. Disabled, Police, Taxi, Loading.

You must park your vehicle so that the wheels are wholly within the white bay markings.

A relevant and valid resident permit enables the appropriate vehicle to be parked on Yarm High Street exempt from parking controls in place if a parking space is available. The Council are not in a position to ensure the availability of any specific bay or to guarantee a parking place at all. However, we believe this scheme will improve options for residents over the current disc zone restrictions.

You can obtain a permit for the following types of vehicles:

• cars or other passenger vehicles with seating for not more than 8 people
• goods vehicles under 30 cwt

A permit would only be issued to the person who keeps and uses the vehicle and lives at that address.

The number of permits to be issued has been assessed using the planning criteria that are applicable when considering the parking standards associated with development.

A maximum of 2 residents' permits (for vehicles registered to that address where the permit will display the vehicle registration details) would be issued per household.

Residents are not obliged to purchase any permits if they do not need to park on Yarm High Street during the times when parking controls operate and are not transferable.

The cost of a residents permit is £10. This is a contribution to the administrative costs and applies to all schemes in Stockton-on-Tees.

If you drive a company vehicle then the vehicle is unlikely to be registered to your address as you are not the owner of the vehicle. In such cases we ask you to provide your name, address and vehicle registration number and a letter from your company on headed company notepaper explaining that you have the use of a company vehicle and that it is expected to be parked near your home address. In addition we ask you to provide evidence of your address, for example a recent utility or Council Tax bill.

If your permit is lost or destroyed or stolen then you should apply to the Customer Service Centre for a duplicate and cancellation of the original permit. You will have to complete an application form and supply the required evidence for the permit type. If your permit becomes faded or defaced, hand it in to the Customer Service Centre for a replacement. An administration charge will apply (same cost of purchasing original permit); if your permit is stolen and an incident number can be produced the fee will be waived. Any vehicle displaying a cancelled permit is liable to be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice and, if appropriate, details may be passed to the Police.

The Council's Civil Enforcement Officers patrol Yarm High Street and issue Penalty Charge Notices to vehicles that appear to contravene the Regulations and parking controls in place. This scheme is designed to provide residents with special facilities, which would not normally be available. For both legal and practical reasons the requirements regarding the display of permits are absolutely necessary for the scheme to be successful. If there are any queries regarding enforcement then please contact the Parking Office on Telephone No. 01642 528499 or email carparking@stockton.gov.uk.

Civil Enforcement Officers may affix a Penalty Charge Notice to the vehicle. These Notices can vary in value. The initial penalty charge is either £70 (parking where not permitted) or £50 (contravening regulations where parking is permitted), but an early payment discount of 50% is available if paid within 14 days.

Permits issued to you and/or your visitors for legitimate visits to you and are not available for commuters, shoppers and other visitors to Yarm High Street, permits will be withdrawn if there is evidence of the scheme being misused.

Eligible residents, i.e. those that do not have any other parking option/provision for vehicles registered to their address or for their visitors, apart from on Yarm High Street, would be eligible to take part in a visitor voucher scheme. Visitor vouchers are intended for the use of personal visitors and tradesmen working on or within the residents' property and only be issued to those who permanently reside at an eligible address and could provide evidence of this.

Eligible residents would be entitled to an annual allocation of visitor vouchers and each of these permits is valid for one specified day and until 9am of the following day. The voucher is in the form of a scratch card whereby the visitor would need to validate it by scratching out the appropriate panels. The scratch card is only valid in the area as indicated, in this instance Yarm High Street.

Vouchers only need to be displayed during the operational hours of the parking controls in place.

A visitor voucher is validated by scratching off the date, month and year of use from the panel on the front and by completing the spaces requiring the address visited and the registration number of the vehicle concerned. Once completed the voucher should be displayed inside the vehicle windscreen by the tax disc. The whole of the voucher, including the vehicle registration number and address visited boxes, must be clearly visible so that all the information can be read easily from outside of the vehicle. Vouchers would be pre- addressed with the applicant's address at the point of sale in order.

Each eligible household may purchase a maximum of one book containing 20 visitor vouchers per year at a total annual cost of £10.

It is the responsibility of the purchaser of the vouchers to ensure that they are used before any stated expiry date. Refunds for unused permits will not be provided.

Will be issued to people whose duties require multiple visits to properties located within a Residents Parking Zone on a regular basis.

The following evidence must be supplied:

• Vehicle Registration Document (DVLA V5)
• a letter from the company Secretary or Director on headed paper stating that the vehicle on the V5 is used in conjunction with the above conditions

Parking by vehicles displaying All Zone Permits will be monitored by Civil Enforcement Officers to ensure they are being used in accordance with the criteria detailed above. The permit is not an entitlement to park any vehicle permanently adjacent to or outside any place of work that is situated within/nearby a Residents Parking Zone. Alternative arrangements should be sought when there is a need to park a vehicle at a place of work.

The annual permits last until the expiry date shown on the permit. You should call the Customer Service Centre on 01642 528499 for a new permit at least 14 days prior to the expiry date, enclosing all documentation and the prevailing annual fee.