Drivers save cash with cut-price urban parking

Mar 13 2011 by Andy Hughes, Sunday Sun

CITY dwellers are offering hard-up North commuters a lifeline . . . by renting out cut-price urban car parking spaces.

People driving into the region’s city centres for work are avoiding pricey multi-storey car parks and council parking bays by paying hundreds of pounds each year to use the makeshift spaces for sale.

The unofficial parking bays are advertised on a specialist website - yourparkingspace.com - on which residents can sell passes on a daily, monthly or yearly rate.

The Sunday Sun gathered information for more than 200 spaces across the North currently being advertised on the site, with prices ranging from £10 a week to £200 per month.

Meanwhile, private and council-owned city centre car parks across the region can cost up to £10 a day.

A 43-year-old musician, who uses the site but wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I don’t have a car and there’s no point in my space just being empty all the time.

“I don’t see any harm in me making a bit of money from it and someone saving some money by using it instead of multi-storey car parks every day, which cost an absolute fortune.”

However, a North council voiced concerns that anyone selling council parking permits would be flouting the law.

Newcastle City Council’s licensing rules state: “Residents’ parking permits cannot be transferred to third parties, as each permit will have the vehicle registration displayed.

“As part of the application process the resident making the application must demonstrate that they are the registered keeper and that the vehicle is registered at the address specified on the application form.

“With regard to visitor permits these are only valid if a person is making a legitimate visit to the property.

“If officers witness the permit being used for anything other than this a parking ticket will be issued and we may consider revoking the permit.”

A spokesman for yourparkingspace.com said there is no suggestion people on the site are breaking the law as they are within their rights to rent out private land.

He added: “When you consider that many official car parks charge over £200 a month there’s quite a saving to be had.”