The original plans proposed by Haringey Council last summer prompted widespread outrage, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A parking permits sign and (inset) cabinet member Seema Chandwani

Haringey Council has said it will now keep its daily visitor parking permits after previously wanting to get rid of them.

The U-turn this week came as the council judged, following public consultation, that removing the daily permits would be “unfair” to those living in controlled parking zones (CPZ) with longer hours.

The controversy began last July when the council said that hourly visitor parking permits would replace daily ones, which cost £5 per day, as part of the council’s new borough-wide parking strategy.

Haringey resident Caitlin O’Connor, who protested the proposed removal, has welcomed the move to now keep them. She said: “We are delighted, it was a huge local community campaign. We ended up with a petition which over 5,000 people signed, then around 3,000 responses on this topic in the consultation.

“People really cared about the issue.”

Seema Chandwani, the council’s cabinet member for resident service and tackling inequality, described the U-turn as a “testament to the power of community engagement”.

Cllr Chandwani said: “Conducting this consultation and acting on the feedback has been crucial in developing a parking system that aligns with the community’s needs.

“Thank you to everyone who participated in the consultation. Some responses proposed alternative ideas, and we will explore these further.

“This collaborative approach allows us to see what works best before finalising decisions about your services.”

Abuse of the permit system, with people buying daily permits and selling them to commuters who came into the borough to park “all day” was one of the main reasons the council gave for removing the daily visitor parking permits.

However, residents overwhelmingly opposed the move, saying they would be the ones most affected.

In the consultation documents, Caitlin explained, residents had shared “personal reflections” on why the removal would have a “negative impact”.

She said: “There’s a range of things from people who need care support, people who are on maternity leave and need family support there’s lots of things that would have a negative impact on the local community. I’m really glad they were listened to by the council.”

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