Estate Parking Permits for Residents

Many of Southwark Council's housing estates have Parking Enforcement Schemes to make sure people who live on the estates can park their vehicles in the dedicated parking bays.  

Any vehicle parked on a housing estate managed by Southwark Council between the hours of 7am and 11pm must have a valid parking permit. This applies seven days a week, except for Christmas Day and New Year's Day. 

The parking enforcement system runs 24 hours a day, every day. On most bank holidays the service is reduced. On Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Easter Sunday, there is no service except for emergencies. Core hours are between 7am and 11pm. This is when the majority of vehicles are enforced against.

Vehicles will be clamped or towed if they

• Do not display a valid permit
• Are parked in an area of the estate or car park that is not a designated parking space.
  

Who can apply for a resident's estate parking permit?

You can apply for a resident's parking permit if you are a tenant, a leaseholder or if you live permanently with a tenant or leaseholder on a housing estate managed by Southwark Council.

Exempt vehicles

The following vehicles can be parked without a permit

• Disabled badge holders * 
• Emergency services vehicles
• Licensed Hackney carriages waiting for clients
• Post Office vehicles
• Vehicles displaying a health emergency badge
• Vehicles registered to services companies such as gas, electricity, water providing they are carrying out work and not blocking emergency access routes

* Wherever possible the council will provide parking for disabled residents and visitors. The council needs to be told of disabled vehicle requirements so that it can make appropriate arrangements. The council cannot guarantee disabled parking bays unless strong medical evidence supports each case. The council will provide a discrete disabled parking badge in vulnerable areas. We will need to install a lockable post to secure the disabled parking bay and this incurs a weekly rental charge. The charge is decided by the area housing office and the council expects all disabled drivers to abide by the time conditions associated with the permit.

Fees

Resident's Estate Permits are issued free of charge. You will have to pay a £10 charge if

• You lose your permit and request a replacement
• You do not provide your current permit when you apply to have your permit renewed.
  

First-time applications

If you are applying for a resident's estate parking permit you must provide

• A completed Estate Parking Permit Application Form for Residents (pdf 22kb). 
  Print the application form and fill it in. Or you can pick up a permit application form from your area housing office or Bermondsey one stop shop.
• Proof of residence, either a rent book with your name on it, council tax statement etc
• Proof of vehicle insurance
• A current provisional licence or full driving licence showing your current address
• A current MOT certificate
• Vehicle registration document (V5) - this document must be in the address of the estate in which the permit is required for. 
• If you are not the owner of the car - a letter from your employer (only required if you have a company car and therefore do not have the vehicle registration document).

Please take your documents to your local one stop shop, or to your area housing office if there is no one stop shop in operation.

Renewing your existing permit

Permits are usually valid for 12 months if your vehicle is under three years of age, otherwise it is valid for the duration of the MOT. The expiry date is shown on the permit. You should bring your current permit with you when you apply for your new permit, otherwise you will be charged a £10 administration fee.

You can apply for a renewal by completing an Estate Parking Application Form for Residents (pdf 22kb). 

Please take your completed documents to your area housing office. Application forms can also be picked up at your area housing office.

Additional information

• Resident permits are not transferable
• Residents may request a duplicate at a cost of £10
• Where a permit scheme is in operation, a resident is guaranteed one resident permit per household, and at the discretion of the area housing office a second permit at a charge of £75.00
• It takes is seven working days to process a permit
  

Frequently asked questions

Q. I have a valid permit - are there any rules about where I  should park my car?
A. You should always park in one of the estate's dedicated parking bays. Some estates run a parking system where you are given your own personal parking bay - if this is the case you must always park in your own bay.

You must not park in the following areas

• Single or double yellow line
• In a doctor's bay
• In a hatch area
• On a footpath
• On the grass verge
• Blocking a bin area or another parking bay

Q. My permit has been lost or stolen. What should I do?
A. Contact your area housing office and they will advise you what to do. Usually you will be asked to apply for a new permit. There may be a £10 administration fee to get a replacement.

Q. I've got rid of my old car and got a new one. Can I keep my current permit?
A. No. Your new car will have a different registration number to the one shown on your permit. You must apply for a new permit that has your new car registration number on it. Bring the following documents to the area housing office

• The vehicle registration document for your new car
• The MOT document for your new car
• Your current permit
• A completed application form, available from your area housing office or by clicking the link at the bottom of this page

Q. I have a resident's permit but no longer have a car. Can I keep my current permit?
A. No. If you do not have a vehicle you cannot have a permit. Please return it to your area housing office. You cannot claim a refund on this parking permit.

Q. Can  people who are visiting me use my permit or park in my bay or elsewhere in the car park?
A. No. This is because your permit only covers your vehicle. If you would like visitors to be able to park in the car park, you can get Visitor's Estate Parking Permits to cover your visitor's car.

Q. I am moving to a different address. Can I keep my permit?
A. No. If you are moving to a different estate, you should apply for a new permit that covers the car park on that estate. Bring your old permit with you when you apply for your new permit.

Q. Can I give my permit to someone else?
A. No. Your permit is only for you and/or the people who live with you who use your vehicle.

Q. My vehicle doesn't have a tax disc at the moment,  does it matter?
A. Yes. Any vehicles found without a tax disc - whether or not they have a valid permit - will be removed immediately, without prior warning.  Anyone applying for Tax on-line, must display evidence or the page from the website to avoid enforcement.

Contact us

Parking services
Tel: 020 7525 2000
environment@southwark.gov.uk
151 Walworth Road
London
SE17 1RY