Victory for Haringey parking permit campaigners

A group of north London residents is claiming victory after Haringey Council backed down on its proposals to scrap daily visitor parking permits.

The idea to remove the permits sparked opposition from local residents last summer as it would have seen a tripling of the cost of visitor parking in some parts of the borough.

Haringey Council's U-turn comes after objections from 95.6% of residents who responded to its statutory public consultation.

Reacting to the outcome, campaigner Dr Caitlin Clunie-O'Connor told BBC Radio London: "We are delighted. It was really heartening to see the community response."

The original proposal would have seen the cost of paying for visitor parking rise from £5 a day with a daily permit to between roughly £13 and £17 a day.

There would also have been hourly permits in some parts of the borough including the Harringay Ladder and Tottenham where parking restrictions run until 18:30, and in Wood Green where the controlled parking zone lasts until 22:00 daily.

The prospect of a hike in charges for visitor parking outside their homes sparked anger among local residents, who took to online community websites and social media groups urging one another to take part in the public consultation.

More than 5,000 people also signed an online petition against the plans.

Dr Clunie-O'Connor, who lives on the Harringay Ladder, said although campaigners were pleased with the outcome, she was disappointed Haringey Council had not identified the potential detrimental impact of its proposals on the community sooner.

"If the council's plan hadn't been noticed by a couple of residents it would have gone through and would have had a negative impact on some of the most vulnerable residents, like people who need visitors for their care," she said.

"It was also the inequality of it. That should have been picked up by the council."

In a letter to residents, Labour councillor Seema Chandwani, the council's cabinet member for tackling inequality and resident services, said it was "clear that the majority of you felt abolishing daily visitor permits would not work due to an unfair disadvantage for areas with longer controlled parking zone hours".

"Concerns were also raised about the negative impact it could have on support networks of individuals with specific needs and the significant cost increase," she said.

In a council statement, she added that the decision to scrap the proposal was "a testament to the power of community engagement".

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