The removal of guest match day parking permits in Coldean and Moulsecoomb is to be revisited in public meetings after a backlash.
The public meetings – dates to be announced – will allow residents to talk about match day parking and try to persuade the council to revise the scheme.
Parking is usually uncontrolled and free in Coldean and Moulsecoomb, except for match days when parking permits are needed for residents and visitors.
Concerns over guest match day permits being resold to football fans, creating congestion around the Amex stadium, led to a public consultation about removing them.
Guest permits in zone B and D were removed in October 2023 after a consultation led to a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), but residents complained they weren’t aware of the consultation.
The chair of the Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Trevor Muten, and ward councillors for Coldean and Moulsecoomb – Councillor Mitchie Alexander, Councillor TJ Sheard, Councillor Amanda Evans, Councillor Ty Goddard, and Councillor Jacob Taylor – issued a statement.
The statement said: “To be clear – only the guest permit has been discontinued.
“Residents can still apply for as many (free) resident permits as they need (a number of people asked this).
“We are also exploring the related issue of residents who park their commercial vehicles in these zones (i.e work vans).
“We realise some people used their guest permits for these vehicles on match days.
“We are discussing with officers whether there may be a way to address this issue.”
One resident, Zara, said: “Match days are a complete joke – don’t dare leave your parking spot on these days or have an emergency to attend to, as you can almost guarantee someone will always block you in.
“I’ve had to report dangerous parking myself as it is and no one ever bothers to turn up.
“The last match had buses not turning up as they couldn’t continue their routes due the way cars were parked.
“Taking away permits doesn’t and will not solve the problem.”
Anything to milk the electorate some more.
Anyone who pays council tax should get FREE residential permits.
The residents do and will continue to get free residents parking permits. It is the guest parking permits that are no longer free
As far as I’m aware , students and people on benefits don’t pay any council tax . That’s a fair old proportion of these two estates .
Students don’t pay council tax but people on benefits do ! They pay a lower rate but they still do pay
Not true. Students might not . But people on benefits still have too pay council tax. But don’t see what that’s got to do with football permit
Also maybe look at the cars that park on the grass verge at wild park? This is a nature reserve that no one can enjoy on match days as it turns into a car park. This needs to be turned into a 1 hour no return on match days.
We now have to arrange with our family for them to come up on non match days as my daughter got a ticket for picking up her daughter my granddaughter on a Saturday after she finished work she was here about 10 minutes and in that time she got a ticket.
We did appeal it but with no luck.
So if we decide to have a family get together I have to pay for visitor tickets or arrange an other day.
Don’t the council think they get enough money for us residents with out this as well.
Why should anyone have to pay to park outside there home what do we pay car tax for
Yes, the new rules are unfair and this is exactly why the local Labour councillors will be holding public meetings , to find new solutions that work for everyone !
Is there any announcement on what time and date this public meeting will take place?
No dates as yet , but dates will be announced very soon I believe.
There is NO right to be able to park outside your house.
You have no right to park outside your house Carol, the fact you think you do is the fundamental problem here. Sounds like the ticket was fairly awarded.
No I don’t park outside my house but it’s nice to be able to park in my street
Sure, might be nice. Still not a right to park on your street either, unfortunately.
No comments
‘residents complained they weren’t aware of the consultation’.
Sounds very familiar! You don’t expect BHCC to consult , do you? That would be dangerously close to democracy
Residents aren’t aware of much generally, to be fair. Average person is blissfully ignorant of the world around them. It’s not a great argument, is it?
Having said that, I do wonder if there is a better way to engage people in consultation rather than hanging up the legally minimum required notice up on the street?
I live at the bottom of moulsecoomb way near the bus stop and i can tell you right now were the all the spaces go its the lazy people who cant be arsed to walk 10/15 minutes from around moulsecoomb and decide to move there car closer to the stadium I’m glad they are doing something about the commercial vehicles as i have a work van and im not paying £130 odd a season to park the van outside my house
Sam you are spot on it is lazy people and it’s the same in coldean.
It would work perfectly if vehicles were checked and those parked on yellow lines or fans without permits given tickets. I had vehicles parked outside my house with no permits and parked on yellow lines, pointed this out to the wardens and they stood talking for an hour and didn’t ticket one, this leads to more congestion and abuse of the scheme. Give tickets for incorrect or fans having non permits, cars parked across drives and on pavements, also on yellow lines and it will soon get better…..with guest permits working how they should
To play devil’s advocate here, not all cars have visual permits or are whitelisted for various reasons. Also depends on the warden, private Vs council can only tickets certain areas respectively.
I don’t know your case specifically, and we’re never really going to know for certain!
I totally agree with it on match days I can’t park outside my house if I pop out as the road is full of cars I’ve never seen before with “visitor” permits that have clearly been sold/given out to use. I asked on person in general chat and he said he brought it off Facebook for the season. This is exactly the reason I agree with it hopefully we can park outside our houses now on match days!!!
It highlights an issue I’ve raised with the council about guest permits. Reselling is a problem that can be easily fixed in my opinion.
I look after my Grandchildren Saturday, while my daughter in law works, she picks them up, at 3.00pm usually staying for a cup of tea and chat, usually 30 mins. Does that warrant using one of my visitors permits which I brought for £3.80 (think thats what I paid, I brought 5 )
Since my husband died last year, my son stays most weekends, although I have brought some visitors permits, its not nearly enough.
So do my family have to pay for permits to visit me, or do I have to pay out for more visitors permits out of my pension.
I have no interest in the football, I do not know when the matches are, although the matches are signed posted on the main road, I haven’t seen anything in Coldean. Its not only football matches, it other events, no idea when these are ?
It only the Football matches at the Amex. No other events are included.
If she is parking for 30 minutes. Yes. She should use a permit to park in a zoned residential area.
Although you raise a good point that people are limited on the amount of permits they can buy, effectively putting a price on friendship and visiting family, but this needs to be addressed at the same time as reselling permits.
The council have the data on which properties are buying guest permits, that’s an excellent start to highlight the problem resellers.
Get relegated simple
This area needs a residents scheme as most other areas in the city . Noone owns the road outside their house.
A full residents permit scheme isn’t wanted by residents in this area though.
I have a visitor’s permit and this is the first I have heard they are no longer valid! Typical reaction to punish the majority to get to the minority rather than deal with those abusing the system.
Would if had emails. Letters text message regarding this plus been said on here ages ago no longer valid. So if use it your get ticket
The only way around this is to have nominated permits for guests. A permit with any on it, is going to be open to abuse… I have nothing to do with the towns football. I find this all very annoying when my two children with my grandchildren visit at weekends, I don’t see why I have to get fined by the council for my folks to visit me weekends.. it seems the councils answer to everything, is a fine…. p.s. I wish the Brighton F.C.. well…
The permit system needs an overhaul, I agree.
If some residents hadn’t sold the visitors permit. Then the people that actually use properly wouldn’t have a problem.