News / parking
Council to pause proposed changes to visitor parking scheme
Planned changes to Bristol’s visitor permit parking scheme are being paused following a recent consultation.
The plans, which were revealed by the council in December 2025, would see costs of visitor permits limited and costs rise. The proposal is part of a wider ‘refinement’ of Bristol City Council’s resident’s parking scheme.
The changes would also see 30-minute free ticket options removed from Pay and Display machines, as well as making business permits for electric vehicles chargeable, which are still being considered and reviewed.
The plans would limit numbers of available visitors’ permits – photo: Robyn Read
However, due to “significant feedback” from the public in the council’s statutory consultation, the proposed changes have been put on hold.
Ed Plowden, Green councillor for Windmill Hill and chair of the transport and connectivity committee, said: “As part of the statutory consultation, along with local ward councillors, I have received significant feedback about the proposed changes to the scheme, with concerns raised about the implications of reducing the free allocation of visitor permits and the overall number of visitor permits available.
“As a result, we will be pausing our proposed changes to visitor permits, so we can review the proposals.
Many raised questions and concerns about the proposed changes, including Bristol Liberal Democrats.
According to the Lib Dems, 3,000 people per year bought additional visitor permits, all of which would exceed the proposed cap.
This would mean that eight per cent of all households within residents’ parking zones would be affected by new limitations on numbers of permits.
Nicholas Coombes, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze and a member of the transport and connectivity committee, said: “I’m glad that the Council has listened to the feedback from local residents, and has decided to pause the implementation of this unfair restriction.
“Many anxious residents have contacted me to explain that they use visitor permits for a variety of reasons, including letting grandparents support childcare, and they are worried that they will exceed the proposed cap.
“I will continue to push for the reversal of this policy so that residents can continue to welcome visitors without worrying about an artificially low limit.”
Main photo: Betty Woolerton
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