Debate contribution: Residents’ Parking Zones

Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on 10 March 2026.

MLA

Ms Liz Kimmins

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

10 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statement

Heading

Residents’ Parking Zones

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5436113

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I wish to provide the House with an update on how my Department will assess and deliver future residents' parking schemes across the North. I am very much aware that parking is an issue of concern for residents in many areas, and, along with my officials, I have carefully considered the best ways of addressing that. Members will recall that, whilst the residents' parking review published in November 2024 found that the scheme for Rugby Road/College Park Avenue in Belfast had worked well, it identified challenges that resulted in other schemes not being able to progress. Those included the resource-intensive nature of the current departmental process and the inability to secure the level of buy-in from residents and businesses required for schemes to progress to implementation. Following publication of the review, there has been significant interest in the establishment of residents' parking zones. Given the demand and ongoing budgetary and resource constraints, my Department has developed an application and assessment process for residents' parking schemes that will ensure a streamlined process for considering, assessing and prioritising requests for schemes going forward. In April 2026, my Department will open the new, demand-led application process that will enable individuals and communities to bring forward proposals for residents' parking zones for formal consideration. That approach follows recommendations from the residents' parking review report, which confirmed that residents' parking zones can work well where there is a clear local need but identified changes required to deliver schemes more effectively. To ensure effective management of the application process, the window for applications will open initially for a period of three months and will reopen on a cyclical basis. That approach will allow my Department to better coordinate the assessment and prioritisation of schemes so that the process is managed in a structured, transparent and efficient way. The demand-led pathway will allow applicants to submit requests for their area to be considered for a residents' parking zone, providing my Department with information about the nature, extent and timing of parking pressures. In order for any scheme to be eligible for consideration, proposals must demonstrate persistent commuter or nuisance parking; cover adopted public streets only; have fewer than 50% of properties with access to private off-street parking such as driveways; and include evidence of local support for a scheme. Further information on residents' parking zones, including guidance on how to apply, will be published on nidirect and on my Department's website. The resources will provide any potential applicant with as much information as possible to allow them to consider whether a scheme is suitable for their area before submitting an application. Following the application stage, my Department will confirm that a majority of residents living in the proposed area support the introduction of a scheme. Each household and business in a proposed scheme will be issued with a ballot addressed to the occupier. A return rate of at least 50% plus one of those balloted in support of a proposed scheme will be required for a scheme to progress. Securing an overall majority of residents' support for a residents' parking zone within specified areas is a fundamental part of the demand-led application and assessment process to ensure that more schemes can be delivered across the North going forward. That reflects a balanced approach and underpins the fact that schemes are community-driven, while being deliverable and sustainable. Following the confirmation of support for a scheme, my Department will verify that off-street parking access is below 50% and that there is sufficient kerbside capacity to design a workable zone. Engagement will take place with the PSNI and the relevant local council, and traffic and parking surveys will be commissioned to establish viability before moving to the design and statutory consultation processes under the existing policy framework. Any applications that do not meet the required criteria at any stage of the process or fail to garner the necessary resident support when balloted will not be reconsidered for a residents' parking scheme for another five years, unless there has been a significant change in circumstances in the area. That aligns with best practice in other jurisdictions, where similar cooling-off periods are used to manage demand and encourage well-considered and community-backed applications. The process of assessing, designing, consulting on and potentially implementing a residents' parking scheme is resource-intensive. Introducing a five-year interval will help to ensure that resources are used efficiently and are not repeatedly directed towards areas where there is insufficient support or where a scheme is not viable. This approach aims to deliver workable community-backed residents' parking zones that improve neighbourhood liveability while making best use of available resources. The delivery of more schemes will also help to persuade those who currently drive into our towns and cities and park all day to use more active or sustainable modes of transport. Alongside that demand-led pathway, which will launch in April, I remain committed to continuing to develop schemes where work has already commenced, such as those in Derry and the Iveagh area of Belfast. My Department will also give consideration to a scheme that could address the emerging on-street parking pressures in the vicinity of the Ulster University campus in Belfast.

861 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:11 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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