Investigations into a Hathersage Residents’ Parking Scheme

Following requests from residents about provision of a Residents’ Parking Scheme in Hathersage the Parish Council contacted Derbyshire County  Council (DCC) for further information – the following response was received:

Several conditions have to be met before a scheme is considered for approval/implementation. A scheme would not be implemented on individual streets but instead done on an area-wide basis requiring all the streets in the area to form a parking zone – this is to avoid just moving the problem from one street to the next.

Any residents’ parking scheme must be self-financing and it is important the majority of residents are supportive for the scheme to be successful. Currently, the cost of  an annual parking permit is £35 for the first vehicle and £50 for any additional vehicle. Sufficient revenue needs to be generated to cover the necessary management and enforcement costs for a scheme to work. From experience elsewhere, this means around 200-300 permit sales are generally required; again, the authority [DCC] would only usually give consideration to a scheme where the majority of the residents (no less than 70%) support it. Hathersage has a mix of properties – some with access to off-street parking; some without; it is far less likely those with access to off-street parking would be supportive of a permit scheme which does not benefit them directly.

A permit enables the holder to park within the restricted area; it does not provide a dedicated space for each permit holder. Under the scheme, there is no guarantee a resident would be able to park outside their property or even on their street. DCC notes outcomes of the Hathersage Parish Council residents’ parking scheme survey undertaken a few years ago: while 70% of residents expressed interest only 32% were interested where permits had to be purchased and even fewer if there was no guarantee of a parking space. DCC notes that based on outcomes of this survey they [DCC] would take the matter no further as numbers of residents in favour of a paid scheme would fall well below the 70% that has to be met; this would be the case in any further survey where fewer than 70% of residents were in favour of a residents’ parking scheme in line with current DCC scheme criteria. 

Hathersage Parish Council continues to investigate all options to improve parking in and around the village.