Frequently Asked Questions (Formal Consultation July 2022 - August 2022)

The permit scheme isn’t designed to work against the residents and their visitors, its purpose is to support them by prioritising them over non-local traffic. The limit of two permits is a means to fairly share out the space, whilst the cost is covering the running of the parking system and enforcement.

 In most cases a visitor is ad-hoc and they are popping in and out, the shared use 2- or 4-hour parking bays should work and are open to anyone to use. However, resident permit holders are not subject to the shared use bay time limit (thus giving residents priority).

 If a visitor stay is not suited to the shared use situation (staying up to 2, 3 or 4 hours depending on the parking location) then there are Visitor Vouchers or Carer Permits depending on the visitor purpose.

Visitor vouchers can be purchased in sets of 10 (a maximum of 50) for £12.50 per set. These are only needed if you have someone stay an extended period who can’t use the shared use parking. Given the daytime operating hours, there is no need for vouchers overnight. 

 Those providing essential care to someone who lives within the scheme will be issued with a carer permit, free of charge. Professional organisations and non-professional carers (e.g. family members, etc.) are eligible for carer permits. Proof that an individual requires care in their home will need to be supplied before a permit is issued. Carer permits will be issued virtually linked to a vehicle.

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

All permit terms and conditions can be found under the following link:

Permit information - Highways (gloucestershire.gov.uk)

 gloucestershire-parking-tcs-v122-march-2023.pdf

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

To ensure effective operation there is a cost to the operation and enforcement of a permit scheme. The permit costs are set at County level so those with a permit scheme across the county contribute the running cost.

 The cost of the first permit is currently £61.80 for the (22/23 FY) year, which can be paid monthly (£5.15 – the equivalent of £1.18 a week). The cost of the second permit is higher, as a means to manage numbers, costing £123.60 for the year, or £10.30 monthly. Data from existing resident permit schemes in the City shows that one quarter of permits issued are second permits.

 Eco Cars (VED Band A) lower emissions vehicles are discounted by ~50%, supporting the Climate Change Strategy.

Eligible households can purchase up to two resident parking permits, to park vehicles on-street. Residential permits will be issued to a specific vehicle and registration number. They can be purchased monthly, and if bought in this way, transferred between different vehicles each month. The charge for monthly permits is simply 1/12th of the annual cost. Resident’s permits will be issued virtually – paper permits are not required.

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

 The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 sets out the legal basis for making TROs. 

 Thorough consideration has been given to the factors set out in Section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 in proposing the TRO. This requires the local authority to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic (including pedestrians), and the provision of suitable and adequate parking facilities on the highway.

 With the changes made in accordance with the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996.  

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

To resolve issues with hospital staff parking the scheme provides NHS parking bays which will be charged for. An on-street permit will cost £2 per day and only be activated when parked in a designated on-street NHS bay. NHS bays are only located in locations where extra capacity can be accommodated.

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

To resolve the issues of students in HMO, a limit of two permits per household will be enforced (as part of the permit scheme terms and conditions). This will prevent households with multiple occupants parking more than two cars between the hours of 8am-7pm, giving residents with a permit priority.

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

To resolve the issues of parking congestion and illegal parking during rugby matches, the scheme will only allow visitors to the area to park for specified amount of time in marked bays. Double yellow lines will also be placed over driveways to ensure residents experience no access issues. The scheme also allows for enforcement officers to penalise those parking illegally.

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

The permit costs are set at County level and support the operation and enforcement of the scheme. This enforcement ensures that the permit scheme operates correctly and improves parking conditions within the permit zone. The Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) will monitor and issue PCNs to non-compliant vehicles during the operational times of the permit zone 8am - 7pm, however they can also monitor problems with parking on yellow lines at any time.

See further FAQs on the implementation of the scheme here.

All parking permits are issues by Mipermit on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council. To register for a permit see webpage here or visit www.wanttopark.com/gloucestershire

To initially register for your virtual Residents Permits, you will need your Council Tax account number for verification. You will also need to supply your postcode and house number to then be able to select your property from the search field to continue registration.

The registration process will ask for your details to set up your account, and a PIN will be sent to you by email/SMS in order that you can login to your newly created account.

When logged in to the MiPermit portal, select Buy Virtual Permits from the menu, and select the Purchase Residents Permit. You can then select the type of Permit you require. Enter the vehicle registration number and the date you require the permit to start.

You will need to provide credit or debit card details to complete your purchase.

As with all virtual permits, nothing needs to be displayed in the vehicle. 

To manage your Residents Permits, login to the MiPermit portal and select Residents from the main menu and select Manage Residents Permits from the sub menu.

You can enter the vehicle registration of your nominated vehicle on initial application or renewal of the permit. If you need to change your vehicle details, you can do so by logging in to the portal and selecting Manage Virtual Permits.

More details on permits can be found here or on Gloucestershire County Council permit information page Permit information - Highways (gloucestershire.gov.uk). 

Information on NHS Permits will be communicated by the NHS nearer to the time. 

Parking surveys were carried out across Gloucestershire in 2020. The surveys took place across two weekdays and two Saturdays, with counts being taken during the AM-peak, inter-peak, and PM-peak for each day. This was undertaken for Gloucester before a UK wide COVID-19 lockdown took place as well as during the lockdown in late May and early June. The results of these surveys indicated that current parking restrictions in the county are not being used in the most efficient way and there can be improvements made. 

As the highway authority, GCC is responsible for managing the highways network. Effective management of on-street parking, in conjunction with the provision of off-street parking, is recognised as making a significant contribution to reducing congestion, whilst enabling access for residents, services and businesses. A review of parking in Gloucester aims to ensure that parking rules are fit for purpose and support planning and transport policies, including the Local Transport Plan.

The objectives for the parking review are set out below:

• To make sure parking provision within Gloucestershire is appropriate for the demand
• To ensure parking is prioritized for those who are residents of the area
• To address the Climate Emergency
• Parking permits will discourage commuters from driving and parking during the daytime in residential areas for work and encourage more active travel such as walking or cycling, or public transport if they are unable to access easy parking
• Parking will still be available in off-street car parks but these will be pay and display.

Permit schemes apply across a zone, typically containing 10 - 15 streets. Local residents and businesses can buy permits which allow them to park unrestricted on any of the streets in that zone. In most cases, vehicles from outside the area are also allowed to park, but are limited to a maximum stay, usually 2 - 4 hours, or required to pay for parking. This prevents all-day commuter parking, freeing up spaces for local people and short-stay visitors.

Note: you only need to buy a permit to park a vehicle on-street. if you park off road or don't have a car, you don't have to buy a permit.

Visit this GCC Page for more information.

A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) is a legal document that restricts or prohibits the use of a highway network, in line with the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The objective of a TRO is to help manage the highway network by improving road safety and accessibility to facilities. 

TROs must follow strict guidelines, set out by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD).

Before a TRO can be put in place, there are statutory processes that needs to be followed. This includes a fair and robust consultation. Often, as is the case for these proposals, several rounds of consultation will be undertaken in order to gather views to help shape and review the proposals.

You can read more about the TRO process on our website: What is a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO)?

Formal TRO Consultation Parameters  

As the highway authority GCC is responsible for the introduction of TROs on the highway, including the enforcement of the restrictions once in place.

However, once a (formal) TRO consultation has started, it cannot be used to introduce new restrictions:

New restrictions not advertised (i.e. we can’t add any new road/s - not show on the interactive map)

Increase a restriction (This includes type, length and times: For example, we can't increase a limited waiting parking bay into Pay & Display; or a length of restriction of double yellow lines can’t be extended; nor can the days or times of operation be extended, for example we can't add the weekend, if we only proposed Mon-Fri, nor can we increase the times from 8pm to 9pm)

Conversely, as part of the TRO consultation, you can:

Remove restrictions that we advertised –(This means some roads might be removed if feedback suggest the zone is too big or certain roads near the edge of the boundary don't want to be included.  We can also remove a specific type of restriction - see reducing a restriction)

Reduce a restriction – (this includes the type, length and times; When reducing the type of restriction the changes can only make the restriction less restrictive. So for example, we can reduce a Pay & Display to limited waiting or reduce the physical length of restriction; Or the days or times of operation can be reduced, for example we can removed the weekend, if we proposed Mon - Sun, days can be removed, or timings can be reduced for example from 8pm to 7pm).

Therefore, by way of establishing the most appropriate TRO design, we often propose the most expansive version of the design, to comply with the consultation TRO paraments. This means as part of the TRO consultation roads and restrictions can still be removed, based on the feedback you provide on the detailed TRO proposals.  

The aim of the scheme is to make sure you would have a greater chance of finding a parking space in your neighbourhood. The operating hours of the scheme would be set to address local pressures such as evening / weekend attractions. You would need to have a permit to park on-street in your neighbourhood during the operating hours of the scheme. You would be able to park a maximum of two cars per house on-street in your neighbourhood. You would need to buy visitor vouchers for visitors staying for long periods, but it is assumed the limited waiting (time limits for non-residents would be suitable to carter for most visits).

The permit costs are set at County level and support the operation and enforcement of the scheme. This enforcement ensures that the permit scheme operates correctly and improves parking conditions within the permit zone. The cost of the first permit is £61.80 for the year, which can be paid monthly (£5.15 – the equivalent of £1.18 a week).

The cost of the second permit is higher – as a means to manage numbers. The cost for the second permit is £123.60 for the year, or £10.30 monthly. Visitor vouchers can be purchased in sets of 10 (until a maximum of 50) for £13.00 per set. Though these are only needed if you have someone stay an extended period who can’t use the shared use parking. Given the scheme operating hours are focused on the daytime period there is no need for vouchers overnight.

The NHS on-street permit will cost £2 per day and only activated when parked in a designated on-street NHS bay.

For more information on the cost of permits, please see this leaflet.

It is proposed that the scheme will operate Monday - Sunday, between the hours of 8am - 7pm.

• You would have greater chance of finding a parking space in your neighbourhood.
• The operating hours of the scheme would be set to address local pressures such as evening/weekend attractions.
• You would need to have a permit to park on-street in your neighbourhood during the operating hours of the scheme.
• You would be able to park a maximum of two cars on-street in your neighbourhood, during the operating hours of the scheme.
• You would need to buy visitor vouchers for visitors staying for long periods

Allowing visiting vehicles to park helps support local businesses. Visitors to local residents can also park for a short time without using a visitor voucher. Visitors may park for free in shared use limited waiting bays for the specified hours shown on the sign. 

Limited waiting for non-residents means, anyone can park in the bay for the time limits set out on the signs. After that they would need to move away (the No Return), or risk getting a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) (also known as a parking ticket).

The parking management in a permit area is designed to support the neighbourhood where some roads are likely to be more congested than others, allowing the permits to operate over a larger number of roads spreads out the parking pressure within the neighbourhood. Parking is managed and enforced to ensure the scheme is operationally efficient.

Therefore, different roads are subject to differences in no return times due to the type and level of demand for parking on each road. The length of parking allowed will be subject to local amenities, such as schools, hospitals and retail centres. Demand for parking on specific roads may also be lower due to the distance from Gloucester city centre and have a lower turnover of visiting parked cars, allowing longer limited waiting hours.

All of your comments will be recorded and emailed to the Consultation Team for consideration in shaping the permit scheme area. The website will be accessible between 7 July - 19 August for you to view and make comments.

Your feedback will be used in the next stages of the TRO process (see FAQ on 'What is a TRO?'). Information about the parking proposals will also be available on our website.

Parking surveys carried out in 2020 showed that current parking restrictions were not being used in the most efficient way. An informal consultation was held between 31 August and 15 October 2021 to gather feedback on the idea of a permit scheme. The new proposals have been shaped by the feedback received from the community during the informal consultation.

The proposals aim to increase residents’ chances of finding a parking space in their own neighbourhood. It includes permit zones for local residents and businesses and time limits for non-residents parking. Following on from the informal consultation, there are no plans to introduce pay and display parking.

Feedback received was used to identify areas where permits were not required, or lacked support, and where alternative methods of parking controls could be used.

The county council is also working with the NHS and in line with their green travel plan to provide a number of on street permit bays for NHS staff only within the neighbourhood around the hospital.