Next steps revealed for parking permit scheme

Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed what the next steps will be in its ongoing efforts to introduce new resident parking permits.

The scheme has been developed in response to requests and complaints from householders in key parts of the county borough where they may not have been able to park near their homes due to available spaces being taken by drivers from outside the area, often for long periods of time.

Work completed prior to the Covid-19 pandemic saw consultation carried out with local residents, a review of the authority’s parking policy, the identification of a series of zones where parking permits could be introduced, and changes made to existing on-street traffic orders necessary for enabling a new permit scheme to be introduced.

With a number of outstanding issues now resolved and pandemic restrictions continuing to ease, work on the introduction of a scheme has resumed which will focus on the Bridgend town centre area.

With the new policy and the updated on-street traffic orders in place, a final round of consultation is currently being organised for zones eight, two, six and four. In order to ensure that it focuses upon issues that are specific to each of the areas, it will be carried out one zone at a time.

Zone eight incorporates Cheltenham Terrace, South Place, Suffolk Street, Free School Court and Jenkins Street, while zone two features Sunnyside Road, Cae Dre Street, Newcastle Hill Pedestrian zone and Newcastle Hill.

Zone six is made up of Caerwallis Street, St Marie Street, Phyllis Avenue, South Street and Grove Road), and zone four includes Morfa Street, Vernon Street, Acland Road, High View, Charles Street, Herbet Street and Minerva Street.

This has been a highly complicated and drawn-out process which, in addition to the large scale of the consultation required, was previously delayed by having to attend to traffic order matters arising from the emergence of an anomaly around disabled parking. We have also had to deal with numerous issues arising from an unofficial questionnaire that focused largely on policy and traffic matters rather than the introduction of resident parking, all of which meant that the traffic orders were unable to progress.

Having reviewed the situation, I am delighted that we are now in a position where this initiative can move forward once more. The council is currently preparing the plans and materials necessary for the consultation, and residents in each of the zones will soon receive letters updating them on the situation and asking for their views.

We want the new parking permit scheme to be fit for purpose and to meet the needs of residents, so I hope that every household will take part and ensure that their voices are heard. The scheme will be monitored and evaluated, with a view to rolling it out further if it proves to be successful.

Councillor Stuart Baldwin, Cabinet Member for Communities

Letters are being prepared outlining how the consultation will proceed, and residents can expect to start receiving them very soon.