Car permit rule relaxation has some Kensington residents fretting over parking spaces

Kensington and Chelsea residents fear they’ll have to park even further away from their homes if the council follows through with a proposal to allow second homeowners to have parking permits.

It estimates such a rule change could bring in as much as £350,000 a year.

The local authority said the move would help plug a revenue gap caused by a gradual fall in residents’ parking permits in the borough since 2013.

The council ran a six-week public consultation in January on plans to remove a restriction which prevents residents of second homes from buying a parking permit. Instead, it wants to introduce a separate permit, at the exact same cost, and cap the number at 2,000.

The council said officers are reviewing responses from the consultation and will present a report. But not all residents back the plans.

In the well-to-do ward of Brompton and Hans Town, which is home to multi-million-pound properties and the luxury shopping mall Harrods, there’s angst at the idea. The ward has the biggest supply of residents’ parking spots at 2,548, but residents fear they’ll soon fill up if second home owners are given permits

Dr Ziba Mashaver, who is retired and in her 70s, said she often can’t find parking near her home during the day as it is. She said: “I’m not really in favour of the council’s proposal because we are already always trying to find parking spots. As an old and disabled person, I find it difficult to walk far and sometimes I have to park far from my home.”

Maire-Claire said: “I think it’s a good idea only if there are enough parking places. There is at the moment but I don’t think there will be if parking spots suddenly open to others.”

Andrew Bland, a gas engineer, said he parks 15 minutes away because there are no spots near Harrods and will easily cover 10 miles by foot reading clients’ meters. However the 63-year-old, who lives in Streatham but works regularly in the area, supports the council’s plan.

He said: “It’s a good idea because if you’ve got two cars, you should have two parking permits. Parking is very expensive.” He added: “If you haven’t got the extra spot, you’re going to complain but people who will complain don’t have a car and will take public transport to get around.”

A consultation letter sent in January said residents’ parking permits in the borough fell by 14.5 per cent between January 2013 and January 2024, from 36,652 to 31,329. Car ownership has also dropped faster in the borough than anywhere else in London, the council claims.

The council has converted some residents’ parking spaces into electric vehicle charging points, cycle hangers and dockless bicycle stations but ‘permit numbers have fallen much faster than the number of spaces available’, the letter read.

Cllr Cem Kemahli, cabinet member for planning and public realm, said: “We know from the census that over 25,000 RBKC residents have second addresses, of which over 10,000 are in the UK.

“It seems reasonable to assume that some of these residents will wish to register their RBKC address as a second home. Already we have over 7,000 homes that are registered as second homes thereby excluding those people who live in them from the residents’ permit.

“I am proposing that residents of second homes in the borough should have the option to buy a permit. With falling permit applications in recent years, this additional eligibility for some residents should not create undue pressure on existing space.”

The council’s data shows the ward of Brompton and Hans Town had the highest rate of second homes, registering 1,499, or about 19.4 per cent of the borough second-homes.

A council spokesperson said: “Officers are reviewing the consultation responses and are drafting a key decision report which will include the consultation results and make recommendations.”

Pictured top: Cars parked in Hans Place, Knightsbridge. KC council is consulting on whether to extend residents’ parking permits to second homeowners (Picture: LDRS/Adrian Zorzut)