More support to help residents park near to their home

20 Mar 2026

More support to help residents living in Bury St Edmunds town centre park near to their home, will come into effect next month.

Residents in permit zones in and around the town centre pay for an annual permit for their parking - but that doesn’t guarantee residents a space outside or near to their home which in turn has caused frustration and concern.

A review carried out on behalf of West Suffolk Council saw residents surveyed in 2022 seeking views on a raft of suggestions to improve their parking situation. 

Many of those suggestions received support from residents and West Suffolk Council has already implemented measures under its controls including making its car parks available to permit holders overnight and updating permits to include vehicle registration numbers to prevent misuse.

One suggestion that was popular with residents in most of the 12 zones was to extend the hours during which a permit or visitor voucher must be displayed to run from 8am to 8pm. This currently varies from zone to zone with 6pm the latest that restrictions currently end. The idea behind the new hours is to help residents who currently struggle to find a space when they get home from work due to spaces being taken up by non-permit holders. 

The measure required Suffolk County Council as the highways authority to carry out a Traffic Regulation Order consultation in 2024.

The outcome of that was that the changes in hours was supported across 10 of the 12 zones and Suffolk County Council have now started to amend signage across these zones. It is understood that this is due to be completed by the end of the month.

West Suffolk Council has written to residents in the 10 affected permit zones to advise of the changes. Owners of vehicles not displaying either a valid permit or visitor voucher during the new hours will be issued penalty charge notices.

The changes of hours will not be implemented in two Zones.

Grove Road which is Zone L currently has permit parking from 9.30am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday – the majority of residents in that zone didn’t support the change in the 2022 consultation and 28 objected to the Traffic Regulation Order. 

In Eastgate Street - Zone J - the existing restrictions cover between 12.45pm and 1.45pm Monday to Saturday. There were 45 objections to the proposed Traffic Regulation Order. 

Other tweaks have also been agreed following the 2024 consultation. In Zone M - Out Westgate three new limited waiting bays have been created to address concerns raised there by local businesses.

In Zone D, the historic town centre, the only objections related to the suggestion that Friars Lane be added to Zone D. Friars Lane will now not be added. Zone D will become 8am to 8pm for restrictions and enforcement. Around 30 spaces are also being delivered in Zone D following requests from West Suffolk to Suffolk County Council highways.

Cllr David Taylor, Cabinet Member for Operations at West Suffolk Council said: “We have listened and have responded to residents both through the 2022 survey and the 2024 consultation. The new restrictions from Suffolk County Council, coupled with the extra parking enforcement from West Suffolk, is designed to make it easier for residents who have paid for their permit, to find somewhere to park closer to their home, particularly when they come home from work in the evening. It is my hope that this will improve the situation for residents, but as with any new measure, we will monitor the situation and evaluate its impact.”

 

 

 

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