Parking rules near Brighton football ground under review

Resident parking permits for streets close to the Amex Stadium are under review.

People living in Coldean and Moulsecoomb can currently have a free permit on match days when parking restrictions are in force to try to stop football fans parking in the streets.

Visitors permits are also available from Brighton and Hove City Council for £2.60 a day.

Now, in a consultation questionnaire, residents are asked what they think works and what does not work with match-day parking in their area.

Each area appears to be affected by different issues when it comes to parking permits.

Hollingdean and Stanmer ward councillor Tracey Hill urged people living in Coldean and on the Bates Estate off Lewes Road to respond to the consultation.

Both Coldean and the Bates Estate are affected by overflow parking from the universities on non match days.

Councillor Hill said: “The main things that come up are not to do with match days themselves but university-related issues.

“In Coldean, students living at Varley Park are not supposed to bring cars to the city but many seem to do so and park in residential streets although these cars do disappear on match days which is quite mysterious!

“If there were a way of enforcing the no-car rule things could be a lot better. I have been asking if the council and the University of Brighton could work together on this.

“The Bates Estate has had issues with displacement parking from the university during building works connected to Preston Barracks.

“Verge parking is damaging the grass – and access for refuse and recycling has sometimes been a problem.

“This review is an opportunity to raise all these issues. Near by, the Coombe Road area including Saunders Park is also due to be consulted on whether they want permit parking which could have a knock-on effect.”

Different issues affect Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, according to ward councillor Daniel Yates.

Initially, visitor permits were also free, resulting in a trade, Councillor Yates said.

He said: “There is a big problem with the business of visitors’ permits because they were not charged for and did not have a date to rub off.

“You could give the permit to any vehicle for four years and people were selling them on eBay.

“The other issue is internal zone parking. The zone runs up to The Avenue in Bevendean and people from there are driving down to the Amex and parking for match days with a perfectly valid parking permit in the window.”

There are separate questionnaires for people living in Coldean and Moulsecoomb.

To complete the survey, click here.

The consultation closes on Friday 13 September with the results due to go before the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee in November.