Changes to the Council's Parking Transfer Scheme
Published: Saturday 31 July 2021The Council has made changes to its Parking Transfer Scheme (PTS) to help overcrowded families and social tenants under occupying their property find more suitable homes.
The PTS allows families living in both overcrowded or under-occupied properties to move into car-free homes, while retaining one on-street parking permit.
The scheme was seen as a barrier to moving for some families, so it has been amended, effective 30 November 2023. Read more below.
Car Free Homes
The Council's 'car free homes’ planning policy was introduced in Tower Hamlets in the late 1990s to help reduce traffic congestion and better manage the limited supply of on-street parking spaces. This initiative also helps to reduce the level of air pollution from motor vehicles and encourages more people to walk, cycle and go by public transport.
By living in a car-free property, you have agreed to certain terms which means you can apply for visitor vouchers, but only a resident permit if you are a blue badge holder, you have been decanted, or you qualify under the Permit Transfer Scheme.
Permit Transfer Scheme
The Permit Transfer Scheme (PTS) helps some families living in overcrowded or under-occupied properties to move into larger or smaller social rented car-free homes by allowing them to keep one on-street resident parking permit.
These changes apply to existing permit holders under the PTS or new applicants who moved from 30 November 2023.
The PTS is subject to the following criteria:
- The applicant must be living in:
1.1 an overcrowded social or private rented property and move to a larger social rented property with two or more bedrooms; or
1.2 an under-occupied social rented property and move to a social rented property with less bedrooms.
- The applicant must satisfy the resident on-street parking permit eligibility criteria.
- Only one on-street resident permit can be held in the household.
- If a member of the household obtains or holds an on-street resident permit under the blue badge exemption, then the household cannot obtain or hold a permit under the PTS as well.
- These criteria came into force on 30 November 2023. Therefore, a resident will not qualify for a permit under the new rules if they had moved prior to this date under any circumstances, and there will be no right of appeal.
Please see full details on the council webpage.
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