Newcastle free parking loophole closed: crackdown for 15 Arthur’s Hill streets with strict new permit zone

City council bosses have confirmed that they will press ahead with an order imposing new parking restrictions on 15 streets in the West End.

The move is intended to stop drivers leaving their vehicles on residential streets in Arthur’s Hill, in order to avoid paying to park elsewhere, and then walking into the city centre.

Local authority transport chiefs said that people who live in Arthur’s Hill deserved a “fair chance” of parking near their own homes.

The plans, which were first announced in February this year, would introduce a parking permit scheme on roads either side of Stanhope Street – blocking anyone without a permit from parking in the designated streets between 9.30am and 11.30am, and 3.30pm to 8.30pm, seven days a week.

The streets which will be affected are: Avison Place, Avolon Place, Cookson Close, Douglas Terrace, Edward Place, Frosterley Place, Hamilton Crescent, Liddle Court, Liddle Road, Monday Crescent, Monday Place, Philip Place, Thorpe Close, Vallum Way and Worley Close.

A council spokesperson confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that a legal order for the restrictions is expected to come into force this September.

After the original proposals were published, the council received three public objections and three supportive comments.

One objection was made by someone who uses the area to park for free during work hours, while the further two both raised concerns about the impact on visitors to a nearby church on Sunday mornings.

In response, the council said: “The resident permit parking scheme is proposed to prioritise on-street parking for residents and their visitors in areas of Arthurs Hill where parking is limited due to factors like commuter traffic, shopping, or other external pressures. This scheme’s aim is to provide residents with a fair chance of parking near their homes as many residents currently find it difficult to park near their home.

“It is acknowledged that the restrictions may lead to some displacement of parking into neighbouring streets. It is not possible to determine how many vehicles are likely to be displaced or where they might relocate to. We will therefore keep the situation under review and can consider the introduction of further measures in future should these prove necessary.”