A residents’ parking scheme covering several roads in a market town has introduced a new declaration requirement for households that own a private driveway but have consistently chosen to park on the street during the current permit year.
The Driveway Non-Utilisation Declaration, added to the permit renewal process this month, requires affected residents to confirm that a driveway is present at the property, that it is accessible, and that a deliberate decision has been made not to use it. Applicants selecting “established household arrangement” as their reason are directed to a secondary form requesting the approximate year the arrangement began and whether any changes to driveway access are anticipated.
The form cannot be submitted without a response to both questions. Neither answer affects the outcome of the application.
Households where the driveway is occupied by a second vehicle — itself not currently using the driveway — are asked to submit a Compound Non-Use Declaration confirming the status of both vehicles. A third, longer form exists for properties where more than two vehicles are in a comparable situation, though officers have noted this applies to “a specific set of circumstances” and uptake has been low.
The scheme’s accompanying guidance confirms that verification of driveway ownership or accessibility is outside the permit team’s remit, and that all declarations are self-certified. The guidance does not address what happens if the information provided is found to be inaccurate. A separate process for reviewing inaccurate declarations is noted as under development with no confirmed timeline.
A Driveway Utilisation Review Process does exist within the council’s parking framework but is confirmed as applicable only to commercial and mixed-use properties.
A query submitted to the parking team asking whether any equivalent residential review process exists received an acknowledgement confirming the query had been received and allocated a reference number.
The council ran a Driveway Encouragement Programme consultation in the autumn. The outcome has not been published. A freedom of information request confirmed the consultation closed as scheduled and that responses are being considered. A second FOI request asking when the outcome would be published received an auto-acknowledgement only.
Permit renewal notices sent this year include a section informing holders with accessible driveways that “the council encourages the use of private parking facilities where available”. The section contains no further guidance, no link to further information, and no mechanism for a response.
