A woman from York, who operates a ten-bedroom house of multiple occupation (HMO) in her home, has said she could lose out due to changes to parking permits.
Cherry Potter, of East Mount Road, told a York Council meeting capping the number of residential parking (ResPark) permits available to HMOs at three was unreasonable.
Mrs Potter, who currently has 15 parking permits, said moving her property and others onto standard ResPark permits would not accommodate her situation.
Cllr Kate Ravilious, the council’s Labour transport spokesperson, said officials would work with Mrs Potter to try and ensure she has the amount of permits she needs.
It comes as Cllr Ravilious approved proposals to abolish separate HMO parking permits on Tuesday, December 16.
The changes, which are set to be implemented in the coming months, will see residents of HMOs no longer able to buy permits costing a flat rate of £213-a-year.
HMO residents will have to buy a standard ResPark permit which costs £115-a-year for a household’s first, £264 for the second and £550 for the third.
Households are limited to three permits each and the system operates on a first come, first served basis.
The changes will see rules restricting where HMO residents can park change, giving them access to all spaces within a ResPark zone.
A council report stated the changes aimed to strike a balance between the amount of permits available to each property and access to spaces for all households within ResPark zones.
But it added officials recognised some residents would be adversely affected, with an estimated 28 set to see the yearly cost of their permits rise.
Those who become the first permit holder of their household will see yearly costs fall as a result of the changes.
Tuesday’s meeting heard the council was aware of five residents who would have to pay the cost of having a third household permit, £550-a-year.
One is set to lose their permit due to the changes, according to council estimates.
At least five people objected to the proposals ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, raising concerns about the financial impact and the effect on their ability to park near their homes.
Mrs Potter, who has run a HMO from her home for more than 25 years, told Tuesday’s decision session the changes did not take her unique situation into account.
The resident said: “Removing my HMO parking permits would be unreasonable as both uses of my property are legitimate and long-standing.
“If this isn’t resolved it would have a significant impact on my household and business which are both in the same place.”
The meeting heard the ResPark system could not register the same property twice, meaning Mrs Potter would have to split hers into two separate ones to get more than three permits.
Transport Executive Member Cllr Ravilious said she was aware about concerns particularly relating to HMOs with more than three cars, such as Mrs Potter’s.
She added although some would be affected financially, the cost of permits would be cheaper for many HMO residents as a result of the changes.
Cllr Ravilious said: “For the majority of HMOs the first permit will be cheaper, but there is a problem with those with more than three cars that they will not be able to have as many permits as they do now.
“For many residents, they will be able to park anywhere in their ResPark zone which is more equitable.
“We will provide a significant lead in time to allow affected households to find alternative parking options, it will take many months to update the system.”
