Thank you to everyone who completed our online survey.
The analysis of the responses received during the consultation period was presented to Cabinet on 16 June 2021. Cabinet agreed that further development of the residents parking scheme would be delayed until Summer 2022, at which point a further consultation will be undertaken.
View minutes of the Cabinet meeting on 16 June 2021 (PDF 163Kb)
The analysis of the responses can be found in Appendix B of the Cabinet Report: Transformational Review of Parking Update (PDF 1.92Mb).
Why we are consulting on residents' parking
We have seen an increasing amount of the residential streets around the town centre becoming full of parked vehicles during the working day as a result of:
- the increase in town centre workers
- new restrictions placed by Morrisons on their car park
- the introduction of various new restrictions around the Dick Institute and other places
This means that many residents are regularly inconvenienced as they cannot get parked near their homes; access to and from their properties is made more difficult and their visitors cannot get parked.
What we're trying to achieve
Our main objective is to provide as much space as possible for residents and their visitors but still take into account the need to cater for town centre workers and shoppers. This scheme aims to strike a balance between these two competing demands.
What we have done so far to help
In recent years we have made improvements to the multi-storey car park such as lighting upgrades and the introduction of a better cleaning and security regime. Further investment has been allocated to fully refurbish the car park including measures which will allow for the roof levels containing 80 spaces to be re-opened.
In 2019 we also opened up a new 50 space car park at Morton Place to the general public and there are plans to create two or three new car parks on vacant sites around the town centre which will create a further 100 – 150 new spaces.
Previously proposed scheme
The previously proposed residents’ parking scheme (which we consulted on in 2014) was not implemented after it became clear through the public engagement exercise that there was not enough support from residents across all of the proposed areas.
At that time, it was felt that the problem was not at a level that would warrant the introduction of a residents’ parking scheme and residents did not like the idea of having to pay for a permit to park in their street.
The new proposals
We are now proposing a different type of scheme where streets will become permit zones with parking bays which have different types of use.
The restrictions will operate between 8am and 6pm from Monday – Saturday.
Firstly, residents within each zone will be able to obtain a residents’ permit for every vehicle registered at their home address free of charge. This will allow them to park in the signed parking bays at all times and for as long as they like.
Secondly, visitors to the zone will also be able to park and will have three options:
Option 1
Visitors can park for free within the signed bays without the need to display a permit for up to a maximum of 1 hour. We hope this will cater for short visits such as those by carers and others.
Option 2
If visitors are visiting a resident and want to park for longer than 1 hour, they will be able to obtain a visitor permit from the resident. Visitor permits can be purchased by residents in advance for a fee of 50p per permit and they will be available to buy in batches.
Option 3
If a visitor is looking to park all day for any other purpose, for example to go to work or visit the shops, they will have to pay the daily rate for parking which is proposed to be set at £3.
Outside the times of operation of the zone (overnight 6pm – 8am Monday to Saturday and all day on Sundays), parking within the signed bays will be unrestricted. This means that people can park without a permit and will not have to pay for parking.
Permit zones
Please select your street below to view the plan of the proposed permit zone for your area. (Please note a drafting error on the Plan for Zone G has been corrected (two lengths of proposed shared permit parking on Glebe Road had been coloured green not purple) and a revised plan G/001A issued).
Please select a street name above.
Download a full overview of all the permit zones (PDF 1.03Mb)
Consultation
The consultation period was from Thursday 13 August until Sunday 4 October 2020. During this time it was possible to complete an online survey providing feedback on the proposals.
How we will use your feedback
At the end of the consultation period, the feedback will be presented and a report prepared for Cabinet. We are asking for some specific feedback on the charge for day stays and on the length of time permitted for free parking (proposed as 1 hour), as well as asking if there is support for the scheme.
If the majority of residents responding in a zone support the scheme, our recommendation to Cabinet is likely to be to progress with the statutory consultation processes required to promote the Traffic Regulation Order to introduce the scheme in that zone.
Frequently asked questions
What times will the road be restricted?
The controlled zone will operate from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
During these times it will not be possible to park without having a valid permit or 'day stay' ticket unless only parking for less than 1 hour.
How will people know about the restrictions?
- Traffic signs will be on street at every entrance to the zone
- Parking bays will then be signed at regular intervals
- Dedicated bays for disabled badge holders will have their own signs
- Parking bays adjacent to local shops will have their own signs
View example signs and what they mean
Does this mean there will be ticket machines installed?
To avoid the need for expensive ticket machines, we are proposing to collect payments for parking through the existing cashless parking system already in operation in the town centre. Further information on the cashless system can be found below.
Will I need to obtain and display a paper permit?
No. The new permit system, including residents’ permits and residents’ visitor permits, will be completely virtual. The permit process will be conducted online through our website.
Council officers will be available during office hours to help anyone who needs to arrange a permit over the phone. Permit information will be transmitted to the parking attendants over the mobile phone network (similar to text messaging) so there will be no need for permit holders to remember to display their permits.
Who can have a permit?
Free permits will be available to residents within the zone. Residents may also apply for visitor permits.
Anyone can purchase a 'day stay' ticket. This can be done by calling Ayrshire Roads Alliance on 01563 503160.
How much do permits cost?
- Resident permits - free of charge
- The permit is issued to a specific vehicle which must be registered at the applicant’s address, and this must be an eligible address within the zone.
- Bundles of visitor permits can be purchased by a resident at an eligible address within the zone and will not be specific to any vehicle when issued. The permits can therefore be allocated to any visitor’s car.
- £10 per bundle of 20 full day permits (maximum of four bundles per year).
- While we would like to be able to offer more permits for visitors, the aim of the scheme is to give residents priority in terms of parking in the area.
- Parking will not be restricted overnight (from 6pm) or at any time on Sundays.
- Visitors may park without charge for up to 1 hour without needing a permit during the operational hours of the scheme.
- Day stays - £3 all day
I do not have access to the internet – what does this mean for me?
Although more and more services are moving online, we appreciate that not everybody can use online services.
Council officers will be available to help you apply for your residents’ permit and manage your visitor permits if you need assistance.
Please note that this support will only be available during office hours so if you know you are expecting visitors, please contact us in good time (at least the day before).
Contact Ayrshire Roads Alliance on 01563 503160.
Will the scheme be enforced and will we need more parking attendants?
The scheme will be enforced by our existing team of parking attendants using new technology which will allow them to quickly and easily check vehicle registration numbers against the database of permitted vehicles. This is faster than having to check paper permits in windscreens and thereby avoids the need for any additional staff.
How do I buy a ‘day stay’ ticket?
‘Day stay’ tickets are virtual, and are currently an option when parking in the town centre.
After parking your vehicle, you phone the number listed on the parking sign at your parking place, or download the App to your smartphone.
The automated system takes the details of your registration number, location (as shown on the sign) and your payment. On receipt of payment our system then updates in real time, advising parking attendants that the vehicle holds a valid permit.
I’m a resident - how does this affect me?
If you want to park a vehicle registered to your address on the street during the hours of 8am–6pm Monday to Saturday, you will need to apply for a permit and park in a marked bay. There is no charge for the permit, and you can have a permit for every vehicle registered at your address.
We are introducing waiting restrictions in some locations to ease congestion and prevent footway parking. You can check exactly what is proposed for outside your house on the interactive map/plans under the new proposals section above.
If you have visitors to your property between the hours of 8am–6pm Monday to Saturday and they are staying for less than 1 hour, they can park without charge in a marked bay for up to 1 hour.
If your visitors are staying longer, you can either allocate them one of your visitor permits (if you have purchased visitor permits) or they can buy a 'day stay' permit on the day (proposed charge £3).
My property has a driveway/I have a private parking space. Will I still need a parking permit?
No. The permit parking scheme only covers the public road. Driveways are private parking spaces.
Residents and business owners would therefore be entitled to park their vehicles on their driveways or within private parking spaces without having to apply for a parking permit.
Should a visitor’s vehicle not be accommodated within your drive or private parking space, they will have to purchase a 'day stay' ticket or have a visitors’ permit to park on-street during the restricted hours for longer than 1 hour.
I am disabled - do I need a permit or to pay for parking?
Blue badge holders do not need a permit to park, as long as the blue badge is displayed in the vehicle and it is parked properly in the parking place. Blue badge holders have no time limit are not required to pay for parking.
If you are a blue badge holder, a resident of the area and the driver of the vehicle, you may wish to apply for a dedicated disabled person’s parking space on the road at or near your property (we try to place them as close as possible).
If you already have a disabled person’s parking place provided, this will not be affected by our proposals. Please always display your blue badge when parking in the disabled person’s parking place.
If you do not have a blue badge, the restrictions will apply to you.
I have a carer come to my home - how will they be affected?
Vehicles can park for up to 1 hour in the parking bays during the restricted hours without charge. We believe that this should be sufficient time to accommodate most service visits including carers, mobile hairdressers and dog groomers, but we welcome your comments on this specific matter in the residents' permit parking survey.
Will vehicles making deliveries need to display visitors’ permits?
All parking restrictions allow for the loading and unloading of goods for short periods and in addition, it would be possible to park for up to 1 hour without displaying a permit.
Will trades working at my property need to display visitors’ permits?
Yes, if they are parking for longer than 1 hour within the permit parking areas during operational hours, tradespersons would be required to have a permit.
It would be your choice as the resident to give them one of your visitor permits (50p per day) or ask them to purchase a ‘day stay' ticket at a cost of £3.
What about funeral vehicles, wedding cars, removal vans - do they need permits?
Funeral vehicles and removal vans are exempt from the restrictions.
Other vehicles parking for longer than 1 hour during the restricted periods would be required to have a permit.
It would be your choice as the resident to give them one of your visitor permits (50p per day) or ask them to purchase a 'day stay' ticket at a cost of £3.
What if I operate a business in the area and need to be able to park near my premises?
You can apply for a free residents’ permit if you have a specific vehicle registered at the business premises, which must be an eligible address within the zone.
If this is not the case then the proposed parking restrictions will still allow for the loading and unloading of goods for short periods.
It will be possible to park for up to 1 hour without displaying a permit.
For longer stays you would need to purchase a 'day stay' ticket at a cost of £3 per day.
I am a tradesperson - how am I affected?
Trades works, for example, hair dressing, boiler servicing, quoting for works, garden maintenance and day/multi day works (internal and external building works, landscaping, decorating), generally fall into two categories:
Short term visits
For short term visits, vehicles can park for up to 1 hour in the parking bays during the restricted hours without charge. We believe that this should be sufficient time to accommodate most service visits including carers, mobile hairdressers, dog groomers and others.
Long term visits
For longer term visits a permit would be needed. The resident may be prepared to allocate one of their visitor permits to your vehicle or they may expect you to purchase a 'day stay' ticket at a cost of £3 per day.
We welcome your comments on this specific matter in residents' permit parking survey.
How do the visitor permits work?
Visitor permits are virtual. Through the online portal you will be able to purchase bundles of 20 permits (£10 each). Each permit is valid for one day.
When you have a visitor staying, you log in, allocate their vehicle a visitor permit by using their vehicle registration number and the relevant date/dates you wish the permit to apply to.
Our system then updates in real time, advising parking attendants that the vehicle holds a valid permit, and deducts the appropriate number of permits from your bundle.
You can assign a permit in advance of the arrival of your visitors, for example if you have family or friends staying for a week, you can allocate seven days of permits to their vehicle in one go. They and you then don’t need to worry about permits again for the rest of their stay.
Why do you have to pay for visitors' permits and what does the money go towards?
The intention of a permit parking scheme is to give residents some priority to park near their own property. The cost of the visitor permits covers an administration fee relating to the processing of applications and contributes to the implementation and enforcement costs of the scheme.
Any residents’ parking scheme has to be self-financing. There are costs involved with setting up and administering such a scheme as well as ongoing maintenance costs for lining and signing.
Despite the increases in parking congestion in these areas, we still think it is unlikely that residents will be keen to pay for the scheme through a charge for their residents’ permit. Therefore, all costs associated with the provision and operation of the scheme will be recovered through the small charges made for residents’ visitor permits and from those who pay the daily rate for parking.
Surely I, and visitors to my home, have a right to park outside my own property for free?
Only if that area is private property, otherwise no. The road outside most properties forms part of the public road and, as such, can be used by anyone.
If you are allowing people to pay to park all day, how will this help free up space in my street?
With the introduction of a new daily parking rate, workers will be encouraged to think more carefully about whether they actually need to drive to work. They should consider the use of public transport as an alternative and also be encouraged to consider car sharing. This change in behaviour should result in a reduction in non-residential parking, thereby freeing up more space.
Won't cars just move to another residential area causing problems elsewhere?
The areas we are proposing for the restrictions surround the town centre and we consider it unlikely that many people would be prepared to walk further than this just to achieve free parking, due to the extra time it would add to their day.
We will however monitor the scheme to assess its performance or any knock-on effects it may have. It’s important to understand that there isn’t anything inherently wrong with parking in a residential street and walking to work/shops. Issues only arise when such a large number of people do this, that it leads to an impact on the residents of an area. Therefore a little transference of parking to outlying areas is unlikely to be considered a traffic management or road safety issue.
I support the scheme but do we need to have all the signs associated with it?
The signs associated with parking schemes are intended to offer a clear indication to road users of the type of restriction in operation in that area. The signs at each parking bay are required to make the restriction legal and enforceable in accordance with relevant legislation.
Care will be taken to position signs sympathetically, whilst obeying rules governing sign location and enforcement.
View example signs and what they mean
How will the scheme be implemented?
East Ayrshire Council would introduce legal orders (Parking Places Order), which would be enforced by Decriminalised Parking Officers (Parking Attendants).
Any vehicles not holding a valid permit or displaying a blue badge when parked in a parking bay within the restricted hours could be subject to a Penalty Charge Notice (a parking ticket).
If the scheme is supported, when would it come into operation?
The time taken to implement a scheme is dependent on the statutory advertising period for the legal orders. If objections to the scheme are received, it may be necessary to take the scheme to a Council Committee where the objections will be heard by elected members.
A ‘letter of operation’ will be distributed to those properties affected by the proposals informing the occupiers of a start date and giving precise information on the process for applying for permits.