£320 to park at your own door

DRIVERS of so-called "gas guzzlers" in the Capital are set to pay more as transport chiefs press ahead with plans to introduce higher parking charges for the most polluting cars.

The move comes after the scheme won the backing of a public consultation.

Responses to the "Park Green" consultation found a total of 73 per cent of respondents in favour, with 68 per cent of parking permit holders who responded also in support of the scheme.

Under the proposals, owners of vehicles such as Land Rovers and the Citroen C6 would see charges double from the current £160 a year to £320. But drivers of the least polluting vehicles in the outer zones would see their charge fall from £80 to just £15.

Residents would also face higher charges for second vehicles, with a charge of £400 for the most polluting vehicles. Drivers of mid-range cars such as a Vauxhall Vectra would see a fall in the price of a permit from £160 to £130, while there would be no change for drivers of bigger models, such as Saabs and Volkswagen Passats.

The proposals, which go before the council's transport and environment committee next Tuesday, recommend the introduction of a banding system for residents' permits with fees based on CO2 emissions or engine size.

There would also be a £5 administration charge for quarterly or six-monthly permits and a new administration charge for replacements. It is expected that the new charging structure would be phased in gradually.

City leaders sent out more than 60,000 letters to permit holders and residents in the city's controlled parking zones to get their views on the controversial plan.

The question asked was: "Do you agree with dropping the price of residential parking permits for those with less polluting cars and raising the price for more polluting cars?"

Just 1670 people took part, with the majority answering the online survey. There were just 18 written submissions and 47 e-mails in favour, with nine and 38 against respectively.

Councillor Phil Wheeler, the city's transport convener, said: "The large scale of this consultation exercise was an indication as to how important the council consider this scheme to be – and, as the results show, the public quite clearly agree.

He added: "As a local authority, the council has a duty to meet local air quality standards set by the European Union by 2010 and, unless we take action now, we will fail to meet the standards set. With zero carbon emissions, the tram scheme will contribute to the reduction of CO2 but we must consider and introduce other innovative solutions.

"While it is only right that people should be free to choose the vehicle that best meets their needs, it is also reasonable that they should pay the appropriate costs of owning their vehicle which, in turn, should reflect the amount of pollution it creates.

"This initiative will actually result in the council losing a small amount of parking revenue but should help us towards achieving our ultimate goal of improved air quality and a better environment for all."

Last year, the decision to hold a public consultation into the proposals led opposition politicians to accuse the council of kicking the scheme "into the long grass".

The council insists the plans – which will cost around £50,000 a year in lost permit revenues – are not a money-making exercise and claim only 20 per cent of drivers would pay more, while two-thirds of people would see charges go down.

Officials estimate that more than 11,000 people will pay less under the scheme, with just 3348 residents paying more.

There have been warnings from politicians and motoring organisations that the changes do not address the main cause of pollution and could prove unfair to families and disabled people.

Green parking permit schemes are already in place elsewhere in the UK, having first been introduced by the London borough of Richmond Upon Thames in 2007, despite only 49 per cent of residents being in favour.

To check the how your car rates in terms of CO2 emissions log on to www.carpages.co.uk