Sustainable Streets programme

Our first priority is to listen to residents and businesses and find out about any concerns local people have about parking before we make any decisions about parking restrictions.

To improve safety and visibility around junctions, we plan to introduce double yellow lines / junction protection markings on some roads. However, if there are no additional parking concerns in an area, these are the only changes we will make.

Controlled Parking Zones will not be introduced if the feedback shows us that they are not needed by the majority of local people in that area. 

60% of roads in Lewisham currently allow unrestricted parking. This is a very high proportion of streets without parking restrictions compared to other boroughs in London. Improved parking management can help to reduce pollution and traffic whilst also reclaiming space for more sustainable transport measures.  

The Sustainable Streets programme consults with local people and if needed, parking permit schemes can be introduced alongside other sustainable improvements such as new street trees, secure cycle storage, electric vehicle charging points and car club bays.  

Alongside these sustainable measures, the introduction of permit parking will be accompanied by:

• resident only parking bays
• dedicated spaces for blue badge parking to support disabled residents
• loading bays to support local businesses
• cashless parking bays so that people who need to can park near shops and local amenities

Permit parking - ensuring parking is protected for residents and businesses to reduce congestion and commuter parking and increase road safety.  

If parking permit schemes are introduced, there are other sustainable measure that could help improve your local area including more street trees, secure cycle storage, electric vehicle charging points and car club bays.

Visit lewisham.gov.uk/SustainableStreets and use our interactive map or survey to share your ideas.  

If you would like to complete a paper copy or require a different format please call 020 4502 0383 or email sustainable.streets@lewisham.gov.uk. Copies are also available for collection at Laurence House, SE6 4QZ.  

Sustainable Streets programmes have been introduced in neighbourhoods across Catford, Crofton Park, Deptford and Evelyn. More than 80% of residents in existing controlled parking zones agree that parking restrictions reduce parking pressures.

In the areas where controlled parking zones have been introduced, there have been other sustainable transport measures for the community including more than 30 electric vehicle charging bays, 30 plus cycle hangars, five car club bays and 18 new street trees.  

We are now consulting with local people in other parts of our borough to listen to your views. The current consultation is now focused on parts of the following wards: Bellingham, Catford South, Crofton Park, Deptford, Downham, Forest Hill, Grove Park, Hither Green, Ladywell, New Cross Gate, Perry Vale and Sydenham  

This consultation is a two-stage process. The first stage involves asking residents to complete an interactive mapping exercise hosted on the Commonplace website.

The map can be used to tell us where you have issues with parking and where you’d like to see sustainable transport measures like cycle hangars, street trees, electric vehicle charge points, safer crossings and car club bays. We will analyse these responses first and listen to your feedback.  

If local residents have told us that they have parking issues and want to address them, then proposed designs will be created based on this, and we will consult residents on the proposed designs for their street. The feedback from this stage will be used to finalise the designs and implement.

We will ensure that the results of the consultation are communicated back to residents through various channels, including email, our website and direct letters to properties in the area.

Parking pressures can vary from road to road. While some people may find it easy to park on their street, many residents have difficulties parking near their home, particularly on roads close to train stations, event destinations, or high streets. Parking permit schemes help to ensure residents can park nearer to their home.  

With a parking permit scheme in place, commuters and visitors cannot park for free during operational hours and will be more likely to travel to the area by walking, cycling, or using public transport, helping to reduce traffic and pollution and improving road safety. The introduction of parking permit schemes also provides the space and funding needed to invest in sustainable transport measures and improvements to local streets.

No - the introduction of parking permit schemes will generate the funding needed to invest in sustainable transport measures and creates the space required to make these other improvements to local streets.

By law, money from the parking permits schemes must be ring-fenced for local transport and highways improvements. The funds are also used to ensure we can provide discounts on travel for the Freedom Pass, which enables older and disabled residents across Lewisham to use public transport for free or at a lower fare.

We know parking pressures vary from road to road. While some people may find it easy to park on their street, many residents have difficulties parking near their home – particularly on roads close to train stations or high streets. Introducing parking permit schemes in these locations will help to ensure these residents can park near to their home.  

To avoid displacing non-residential parking onto nearby roads that do not currently experience significant parking pressures, we normally take an area-wide approach when introducing new parking permit schemes. This approach has been successfully implemented in other areas across the borough and can help to reduce parking pressures on certain roads without negatively impacting other residents.

While we want to reduce the number of car journeys in Lewisham, we know some people still need to drive, such as people with mobility impairments or people who need to drive for work. Parking permit schemes still enable residents to own a car and park near their house, while encouraging those who can, to make more journeys on foot, by bike or on public transport.  

Blue Badge holders in areas with a parking permit scheme can apply for a free annual parking permit. We are also reviewing and installing disabled bays in locations where they have been requested by residents, making it easier for Blue Badge holders to park near their home.  

The proposals include the installation of more car club bays, which allow people who need to make occasional journeys by car to do so in an affordable and convenient way without having to own a private vehicle.

Yes - anyone can still visit an area with a permit parking scheme. If visiting outside the hours of permit parking operation, drivers can park free of charge in the marked bays. If visiting during the hours of permit parking operation, drivers can park in one of the dedicated PaybyPhone bays or use a visitor permit.  

Residents and businesses with an annual parking permit receive ten one-hour visitor permits for free each year and more can be purchased, starting from £2.13 per hour. Ten one-hour visitor passes are provided free of charge to any resident over 60 in receipt of Council Tax support and who does not have another parking permit.

A book of 10 one-hour visitor permits is included in the cost of an annual residential parking permit.

Carers of residents in areas with a parking permit scheme can also apply for a free carers permit, allowing them to visit free of charge for up to four hours.  

Eligible residents can apply online for a carer’s permit and provide supporting medical evidence with their address. Once approved, the resident can enter carer’s vehicle details and sessions via an e-permit system or request a paper permit for display during care visits:

• parking permits for carers
  
  

People can load or unload on single or double yellow lines if no obstruction is caused and there is no loading ban in place. This means shopping, Royal Mail or other deliveries can still be made as they currently do.

Enforcement officers will not issue a PCN if the activity is continuous, and the vehicle is not left unattended for more than five minutes:

• see our full loading/unloading policy

Our Sustainable Streets programme aims to make it easier for people to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to local shops and high streets, helping to support local businesses.  

The introduction of short-stay (Pay-by-Phone) parking bays encourage greater turnover of parking near busy shopping locations, ensuring bays at shopping locations are used by shoppers and visitors, and not commuters. Our cost for Pay-by-Phone bays starts at £2.21 per hour and is among the lowest amount for visitor parking across London.  

We want local business owners to fill out the consultation survey so that we can hear and understand their views. Our Sustainable Streets programme can also introduce loading bays where they are needed by businesses and ensure there are an adequate number of business only permit bays.

As part of our work to improve air quality in the borough, the cost of a parking permit is calculated based on the emissions of a vehicle, with lower polluting vehicles paying less.

All non-housing estate residents receive a 15% discount in the first year of implementation, with the average yearly cost between £57 and £384 depending on your type of vehicle.

Permits for residents of housing estates are low, on average between £10 and £156 each year. Residents are able to pay for an annual permit through our new monthly subscription service, helping reduce the financial impact of purchasing a new permit:

• controlled parking zone permit charges

We want to have a consistent approach across Lewisham and most parking permit schemes in the borough operate 9am to 5pm and up to 7pm in very busy areas.

All zones, once introduced, will be reviewed six months after implementation, and residents will be re-consulted on and asked if there are any changes or extensions needed.

We have been consulting the borough in phases. We started in areas where our data shows streets are often congested with parked cars and aim to have consulted the whole borough by the end of 2025.  

The current consultation is now focused on parts of the following wards: Bellingham, Catford South, Crofton Park, Deptford, Downham, Forest Hill, Grove Park, Hither Green, Ladywell, New Cross Gate, Perry Vale and Sydenham.

Local people know their neighbourhood best and we want you to help us shape our proposals.

Sustainable Streets proposals will only progress in areas where the majority of residents want permit parking introduced, as permit parking schemes provide the necessary space and funding required to deliver these improvements.

We are asking residents and businesses to share their feedback until 16 June 2025.  

The information gathered will help us understand how pavements and road space are being used in local streets and how they could be used in future, so we can create more sustainable streets for local people, reduce traffic and congestion and support more people to walk, cycle or use public transport.  

Many residents said pavement parking made it difficult to walk on the footpath. Where there are formal parking bays on the pavement, we are proposing to remove these on most roads, to make pavements safer and more accessible.

In a small number of locations, formal pavement parking may not be removed because the width of the road is too narrow. If permit parking is introduced in these areas, it will be rigorously enforced, including enforcing against illegal pavement parking.

The management and enforcement of parking in the borough is managed by NSL Parking Services on behalf of the Council. All the money received from parking permits or Penalty Charge Notices goes directly to the Council and is ring-fenced to fund transport and highways projects in Lewisham which benefit residents.