Banbury & Bicester - proposed parking amendments & residents permit scheme

We're asking for your views on the proposal to introduce various new parking measures for residents and visitors in the central (west) area of Banbury and a smaller permit parking scheme for St. Johns Street (Dunkin’s Close) in Bicester. Additionally, it is proposed to align the parking permit charges and rules for issuance in the Cherwell District with existing policies. This is in advance of the county council taking responsibility for administering all schemes and will effect existing schemes in Bicester. Specifically, the proposals comprise of the following measures:

Banbury:

A new Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) is proposed within the area includes Beargarden Road, Crouch Street, Monument Street, New Road, West Bar Street and Westbeech Court, with the aim of the CPZ to better manage the supply of on-street parking spaces for the benefit of residents and their visitors.

It is proposed that residents and their visitors only will be able to park in parts of Beargarden Road, Crouch Street, West Bar Street, and Westbeech Court provided they display a valid parking permit (with the identifier ‘BCW’) during the zone operational times of Mondays to Saturday, between 8am & 6pm. As part of the proposals, the existing time-limited parking bays, in Crouch Street and West Bar Street, allowing either 30-minute or 4-hour stays, will be changed to permit holders-only.

It is also proposed to alter the layout of parking along Beargarden Road to the other side of the road, to achieve more parking spaces overall. There are alterations to yellow lines accompanying those proposals, including new double yellow lines throughout the length of New Road. In Monument Street, to counter the difficulties experienced by the Health Centre near its entrance, it is proposed to introduce a mixture of dedicated Disabled Persons Parking Places, a loading bay for Goods Vehicles and the rest of the street covered by a prohibition of waiting or loading by all vehicles.

Bicester:

Within the Dunkins Close section of St John’s Street amendments are being proposed to help better manage the supply of on-street parking spaces for the benefit of residents and their visitors. It is proposed that residents and their visitors only will be able to park in a parking bay fronting no’s 1-6 Dunkins Close, the bay being long enough for 5 cars. The remainder of the Close would now be covered by double yellow lines (i.e. 'No Waiting at Any Time').

Cherwell Permits:

As of the 1st April 2023 Oxfordshire County Council will be responsible for administering parking permits for resident permit schemes operating in the Cherwell District area, including on-street schemes in Bicester. To bring the administration process in line with our current operations in Oxford City and in other District areas, moving forward we will issue virtual Resident permits, meaning you will not have to wait to receive a paper version through the post. This enables residents to park their vehicle in permit holder bays immediately once their application has been approved. The cost of a resident permit will remain the same at £66 per annum.

Furthermore, we are proposing to make changes to visitor permit allocations to enable all household members to apply. Currently visitors’ permits are issued on a pro-rata basis, depending on the number of residents permits that have been issued, however in our existing schemes we allow any resident over the age of 17, regardless of whether they have a vehicle or not, to apply for 50 Visitor permits per year. Visitor permits are issued in batches of 25 every 6 months with the first set being free of charge and a second allocation is available 6 months later at a cost of £25. Any resident aged 70 years or above do not pay for the second set. Visitor permits are scratch cards and each one is valid for a 24-hour period. Currently visitor permits aren’t virtual however we are working towards achieving this in the future.

Summary of proposed changes:

Have your say.

Please read the detailed information provided on this consultation and take the time to complete the survey as your views and opinions matter. Your response should be completed and returned by Friday 30 December 2022.

Whilst we will endeavor to answer simple queries during the course of the consultation, any more complex questions/issues will be appraised and dealt with as part of consultation process.

What happens next?

The County Council will review the responses and if necessary (i.e. if objections are received) prepare a report to be presented to the Cabinet Member for Highway Management at a meeting scheduled for early in 2023. This will be public meeting at which members of the public may apply to speak. The agenda and reports for meetings will be made available on the Oxfordshire County Council web site about a week before the meeting (please note that occasionally it is necessary to defer reports to a later meeting, and it is therefore advisable to check the agenda ahead of attending a meeting). The Forward Plan of decisions meetings can be viewed here.