Brent Council's cabinet have agreed on changes to the way on-street parking in controlled parking zones within the borough is managed.

The plans were agreed at a meeting of the cabinet on Monday (June 27) after a major public consultation took place in April and May to seek the views of the public on reforms to on-street parking.

The cabinet hope that these agreed changes will help manage the demand for on-street parking, reduce traffic congestion, provide affordable parking for visitors and businesses and allow more residents to park near their homes.

What will change under the new plans?

The plans that were agreed by the cabinet will see a number of changes to parking in the Borough rolled out, including:

  • Plans to support school parking - the council will aim to make sure that schools will have enough parking available so that it can recruit and retain key staff

  • Simplify the resident parking permit scheme to provide a clearer incentive to switch to lower-emission vehicles

  • Increase visitor charges for stays of longer than two hours

  • Freezing pay & display charges borough-wide

  • Safeguarding the Visitor Household permit to assist residents requiring care and support

  • Introducing a new daily permit for local businesses - allowing them to park anywhere in Brent whilst making deliveries or carrying out building work

It was also agreed that the council would delay the introduction of a pollution surcharge for diesel car permits until October 2018 in order to give diesel vehicle owners more time to respond to recent statements about diesel vehicles producing an increased pollution risk.

Councillor Eleanor Southwood, cabinet member for environment, said: "I'm really grateful to everyone who took part in this consultation, which is the first time we've looked at parking permit arrangements in a comprehensive way.

"Residents made it clear that they want to see the council better manage our limited parking spaces.

"Whilst I understand that increasing charges is never popular, I believe that these changes give us a real opportunity to tackle the huge demand for parking across the borough."

"These changes also make clear our commitment to work closely with residents, businesses and schools to encourage more sustainable transport wherever possible, keep traffic moving and take steps to improve air quality and reduce our carbon footprint.

"We're committed to making Brent a borough that is accessible for everyone and this includes ensuring that residents and their visitors can find a parking space when they need one."