East Suffolk Council
Parking permits
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Resident Parking Permit | Trade Dispensations |
| Health & Social Care vouchers | On-street parking place suspensions |
| Off-street parking place suspensions | |
| Apply | |
| Register and apply for a permit | |
Resident Parking Permit
A resident parking permit allows a vehicle registered to an eligible address to park within the designated permit parking bays. These are located within an allocated street or zone and are indicated on the highway by white dashed lines and corresponding white signs.
Resident permit bays operate daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. During these hours, only vehicles with a valid resident permit or an active visitor voucher may park in designated bays. While the permit provides access to parking within the street or zone, it does not guarantee the availability of a space.
- Eligibility: One permit per eligible property
- Cost: £30.00 per year
- Format: Virtual (no physical display required)
- Vehicle Link: Permit is linked to a single, designated vehicle
- Purpose: Provides parking opportunities for residents, including those without access to private off-street parking.
Resident permits and visitor vouchers are only valid within designated resident permit bays. They cannot be used in other regulated parking bays, such as loading or time-limited bays. Additionally, the resident permit does not exempt you from yellow line ‘No Waiting’ restrictions.
To check if your property is eligible, please view our Permit Scheme locations.
How to apply for a resident permit
To apply for a permit, you will need to register and submit your application online. As part of the process, you must provide proof of residency and vehicle registration. Please refer to our list of accepted documents below:
Proof of residency:
- Council tax bill (current financial year)
- Utility bill within last three months
If you have just moved to the property:
- Signed and dated tenancy agreement
- Completion letter/statement from solicitor
Proof of vehicle registration
- V5C registration document (green new keeper slips are not accepted)
- Motor insurance policy schedule which must include name, address, and vehicle registration
Renewing your resident permit
Residents can renew their permit up to one month prior to its expiry. Please note that while we do send renewal reminders by email where an email address has been supplied. Residents should not rely on these as they may be missed due to individual spam filters. We recommend that residents record the expiration date of their permit and allow plenty of time to renew.
If you do not own a vehicle
Only a vehicle that is registered to the permit holder and property is eligible for a permit under this scheme.
If you need to park additional vehicles, you are still eligible for visitor vouchers. To apply, you will need to complete the ‘Visitor Voucher Eligibility’ process. Once approved, you will be granted access to the visitor voucher system through your online account.
Visitor vouchers
Residents living within a permit street or zone are also entitled to visitor vouchers, which allow parking for visitors to the property. This can include friends, family, care providers or trades persons.
- Entitlement: 30 vouchers per month (granted automatically once a resident permit is approved)
- Cost: £1 per voucher
- Format: Virtual via online account
- Validity: Each voucher is valid for one calendar day (not a rolling 24-hour period)
- Activation: Virtual vouchers are activated via your online account
How to activate a visitor voucher
Once you have purchased your visitor vouchers, these will be available on your account. To use a voucher, you will need to allocate a date and vehicle registration. Once activated, this information cannot be changed.
Vehicle amendments
The designated vehicle registration may be changed by submitting a request via your online account. You will need to provide proof of registration or in the event of a courtesy or hire vehicle, proof of possession. A vehicle may only park within the permit bays once approval has been granted by East Suffolk Council.
Exemptions to the resident permit
- Blue Badge holders may park for up to three hours within resident parking bays. However, they may not return to the same location within one hour of leaving. The Blue Badge must be clearly displayed on the dashboard, along with a time clock set to the time of arrival
- Vehicles may stop within designated permit bays for loading and unloading, but this activity must be continuous. Once the loading or unloading is complete, the vehicle must not remain parked in the bay
Apply for a resident parking permit
Trade Dispensations
A Trade Dispensation enables a registered trades person to park their vehicle in certain restricted areas while working at residential or commercial premises.
Applications must be done online and cannot be accepted over the telephone. A notice period of five working days is required for processing the application.
Once a trade dispensation starts, the vehicle registration cannot be amended.
Trade dispensations last for up to seven days. Refunds are not available for any unused days.
Trade dispensations are not designed for long term parking and therefore cannot be ‘renewed’. An application will need to be made for each seven-day period required.
Approval is not guaranteed. The council will assess each application based on factors such as location, parking demands and road safety. Should your application be rejected, a full refund will be issued.
- Eligibility: Registered trades carrying out works to residential or commercial properties.
- Cost: £10.00 for up to seven days.
- Format: Virtual (no physical display required)
- Vehicle Link: Permit is linked to a single, designated vehicle
- Purpose: Provides parking opportunities for trades carrying out works at properties within restricted streets or zones.
- Validity: Time limited waiting bays (no time restriction) / resident permit bays (no time restriction) / ‘No Waiting’ restrictions (up to three hours only).
- Note: A trade dispensation does not guarantee a parking space.
How to apply for a trade dispensation
To apply for a trade dispensation, you will need to register with our online parking portal and submit your application online. As part of the process, you must provide proof of trade and vehicle registration. Please refer to our list of accepted documents below:
Proof of trade:
- A dated estimate, invoice, or quotation printed on headed paper, which must include the property address and a description of the works being carried out
Proof of vehicle registration:
- V5C registration document (green new keeper slips are not accepted)
- Motor insurance policy schedule that must include name, address, and vehicle registration
Apply for a trade dispensation
Health and social care vouchers
Those working in health and social care sometimes serve residents living in permit parking zones. Some zones are designed with all the kerb-space regulated in some way and these often include time-limited waiting bays, and some zones are designed with sections of kerb-space left unregulated; both provide parking opportunities for those visiting residents.
It might be necessary for those delivering health and social care in the community to park in the permit holder bays. Carers may activate a voucher for a specific vehicle registration number when providing care for a resident living in the permit parking zone.
Carers wishing to access the additional parking opportunities provided by carer vouchers should register and apply for eligibility online.
- Eligibility: Health and social care workers employed by a registered care provider
- Cost: £8.00 annually (registration fee)
- Entitlement: 20 vouchers per month.
- Format: Virtual (no physical display required)
- Purpose: Provides parking opportunities for care providers within designated resident permit streets or zones
- Validity: Resident permit bays
- Note: Vouchers do not guarantee a parking space and should only be registered upon arrival
How to apply for Health and Social Care Eligibility
To apply for health and social care eligibility, you will need to register with our online parking portal and submit your application online. As part of the process, you must provide proof of your registered care providers address and proof of your employment. Please refer to our list of accepted documents below:
- Pay slip containing your name, address and the care providers details (no older than 2 months)
- Signed and dated contract of employment
Once your eligibility has been approved, you will then be able to access vouchers via your online account. Each time you require parking within the designated resident permit bays, you will be required to register a voucher by allocated a date and vehicle registration. Only once a voucher has been activated, may you leave your vehicle parked in the resident permit bays.
Apply for Health & Social Care eligibility
On-street parking place suspensions
Contractors often require access to the highway to carry out works. A suspension of on-street parking bays is necessary when existing parking regulations will be contravened or when the bays are needed for traffic management purposes.
Contractors intending to carry out works on the highway must first obtain a Section 50 Street Works Licence from the relevant Highway Authority. Once a licence has been secured, contractors may apply for an on-street parking bay suspension.
The council requires a minimum notice of seven working days. Any applications submitted after this period may not be approved.
The application must include:
- The reason for the suspension
- The applicable street works licence reference
- The dates the suspension is required
- A map indicating the specific parking bays affected
- Public liability insurance
Fees:
- Administration fees start at £55 for the first day
- An additional £25 per day applies thereafter
- The maximum charge is £280 for up to 10 days
Apply for an on-street parking place suspension
Off-street parking place suspensions
Contractors and organisations may request to reserve space in a council-managed off-street parking location for works or other operational needs. To facilitate this, an off-street parking place suspension must be obtained.
The application must include:
- The reason for the suspension
- The dates the suspension is required
- A map indicating the specific parking bays/car parks affected
- Public liability insurance
Fees:
- Administration fees start at £55 for the first day
- An additional £25 per day applies thereafter
- The maximum charge is £280 for up to 10 days
All applications require approval from the Council’s Asset Management Team. Additional fees may apply based on the nature and scope of the request.
Organisations and community groups wishing to hold events on council land should first read the running an event safely information and make an application via our events on council land page.
