CPZ FAQs

What is a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ)?

A Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) is an area where all on-street parking is controlled either by yellow lines or designated parking spaces
CPZs ease congestion caused by illegal and obstructive parking by introducing waiting restrictions (yellow lines) where parking is undesirable
CPZs give priority to residents and the local community, and their visitors during the operational hours
Outside the hours of operation, parking remains unrestricted unless otherwise stated
Double yellow lines prohibit parking at any time regardless of the CPZ
A permit for one CPZ does not allow the holder to park in any other CPZ
A CPZ does not guarantee you a space outside your house
Residents must purchase parking permits and visitor vouchers for their visitors, should they wish to park or enable their visitor to park during the hours of operation of the zone

How do CPZs work?

Different types of spaces are provided for specific groups of motorists. In this instance, one type is being considered:

Permit Holders – for residents of the roads in the area and their visitors, and businesses that require a vehicle for business use.

Any vehicles that are parked illegally are liable to receive a penalty charge notice, issued by uniformed civil enforcement officers, who regularly patrol the area.

Controlled Parking Zone Permit Charge

Type of permit	Cost
Resident permit	£47 per year
Additional Resident permit	£47 per year
Shared Resident permit	£47 per year
Business permit	£94 per year
Replacement permit	£6.80
Special permit (Health and Care Workers)	Free
Resident Visitor permits (Maximum 100 permits per year)	£2.10 per session

How do the permits work?

If you own a car or a van and plan to park on the street during the operational hours, you will need a permit. Similarly, you will need to buy visitor permits online if people visit you by car and you want them to be able to park in a parking space near to your home. If you do not need to park on-street, you will not need a permit.

Resident Permits: Permits will be issued only to residents whose vehicles are registered at the address within the proposed zone. Residents will be entitled to up to two permits per household.

Resident Visitor Permits: Residents will be able to purchase visitor permits for their visitors online. It is not necessary to hold a resident permit to purchase visitor permits. The number of visitor permits residents can purchase will be limited to 100 a year to prevent abuse, such as sales to non-residents. However, this number can be increased in exceptional circumstances.

Business Permits: Businesses based within the CPZ may purchase permits for vehicles essential to the operation of the business (e.g. delivery vehicles). They will not be issued for the purpose of commuting to work.

A limited number of commuting staff employed in education, social and health care, and emergency services located within CPZs may be issued with business permits. The number of permits issued will depend on an assessment of parking capacity within each zone, conducted by council officers. A final allocation will be determined based on the total available permit parking capacity in the area.

Health and Care Workers Permits: Residents are eligible to apply for a Special Permit if they receive regular visits from care or other support service organisations, for example, home helps or carers. This permit is free.

Tradesperson’s Permits: Builders and other tradespersons can use residents’ visitor permits to allow vehicles to park close to their client’s homes while work is being carried out. Tradesmen can also buy parking waivers or an annual trade permit directly from the council.

Shared Permit: If you have off-street parking for one vehicle, and your household/business has more than one vehicle, it may be possible to be issued with a shared permit. The permit will cover the registration numbers of the vehicles but will allow only one vehicle to park on-street at any one time during the hours of control.

Special parking groups

Disabled Badge Holders (Blue Badge holders)

Any vehicle displaying a valid Blue Badge may park without a permit:

In any permit holder or shared use bay within the zone
On single or double yellow lines, where there are no loading restrictions, for up to three hours, provided the vehicle is not causing an obstruction
In any designated disabled parking bay

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Q. Why must I buy a permit to park in my own road?

A. The new parking scheme will make it easier for you to park, but the scheme will cost money to set up, run and enforce. Therefore, a small charge needs to be made to cover the running costs of the proposed system.

Q. I pay Council Tax and road tax, why do I have to pay for a parking permit as well?

A. Council tax and road tax contribute towards services that are available to the entire population such as education, social services and highway maintenance. Controlled parking schemes only affect a small area. By law, the costs need to be met by the scheme itself through sales of permits.

Q. I am a business owner. Are my staff allowed a business parking permit?

A. No. The business permit aims to make parking easier for rate-paying business owners who require a vehicle for operational reasons. It is not meant to provide subsidised parking for employees.

Q. Will owning a parking permit guarantee me a space outside my home?

A. No. A controlled parking scheme on the public highway cannot reserve specific spaces for individual users and therefore we cannot guarantee a particular parking space. However, by preventing long-stay parking by non-residents in your area, a CPZ makes it much more likely that residents are able to find parking spaces near to their homes.

Q. Will the scheme make it easier to park at night?

A. No. Problems at night occur in areas where some households own more than one vehicle, off-street parking is limited, and there is not enough space for the number of cars. What a CPZ will do is prevent commuter and long-stay parking and so increase the number of spaces for residents and businesses during the hours of operation.

Q. I have a crossover (a driveway crossing the pavement) and at the moment I park over it. Will I still be able to do this?

A. Yes. Unlike some councils, Folkestone & Hythe schemes are designed so that you can continue to do so with a valid parking permit.

Q. Can my visitors park in the controlled parking zone?

A. You will be able to buy resident’s visitor permits online to enable your visitors to park in the ‘permit holders only’ or ‘shared use’ spaces. Visitors will also be able to park without a permit in ‘shared use’ bays for up to the maximum period indicated on the signs.

Q. What about tradesmen, engineers or builders working at my home?

A. A maintenance engineer or builder undertaking a call would be able to use a resident’s visitor permit to park in a ‘permit holders only’ or ‘shared use’ space. Special arrangements may be possible when long-term building works are being undertaken.

Q. What about deliveries?

A. Provided no obstruction is caused, legitimate delivery vehicles will be able to park without a permit for as long as necessary in permit spaces or on yellow lines while loading or unloading provided there are no loading restrictions in place at that location.

Q. We don’t have a parking problem so why include my road?

A. If a parking scheme is introduced on a busy road, some vehicles are likely to relocate to nearby streets where parking remains unrestricted. This could result in increased parking pressure on your road if it remains outside the scheme. For that reason, it may be in residents' interests to be included within the zone rather than remain just outside it. Ultimately, however, this is a matter for residents to consider and decide.

Q. Yellow lines give us less room to park. Why have them?

A. We will only install yellow lines where parked vehicles would cause danger or obstruct other motorists or pedestrians using the highway. We put yellow lines only where they are absolutely necessary.

Q. Do we have to have signs, posts and lines?

A. To enable a CPZ to be enforced, it is necessary to install road markings and signs in some roads. However, we are very conscious of the appearance of the street scene, so we try to keep signage to an absolute minimum. We also try to locate signs in places that minimise the visual impact from properties.

Q. What about outside the hours of operation?

A. Outside the operational hours of the zone, no restrictions apply and parking in permit areas is not controlled or restricted. Single yellow line controls will not apply either, so you may park your vehicle on them subject to the Highway Code. The only exception is where double yellow lines exist, which prevent parking at all times.