Residents of one famous British town may have to pay up to £70 to park outside their own homes due to a new parking scheme.
Didcot isn’t known as the prettiest town Britain has to offer, with its skyline dominated by local power stations, but it boasts more than a century of history with one of the UK’s proudest enterprises.
The town is well-known for becoming one of the first to host the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1839, a fact celebrated by the Didcot Railway Centre, which celebrates 19th-century engineering and classic trains.
Now, the town is better known for Didcot Power Station and for being what researchers in 2017 dubbed the “most normal town in England” thanks to 10 of its streets, which closely matched national average experiences, opinions and lifestyles.
But locals have protested recent changes that have introduced what they believe are not-so-normal “anti-car” measures that could see residents stung with a hefty fine.
Oxfordshire County Council has introduced a controlled parking zone (CPZ) scheme for several residential areas in Didcot that has sparked local outrage.
The scheme has been devised to reduce the number of people parking outside residences near the town’s main shopping centre and train station.
The rules also apply to locals living within the boundary, who now have to apply for permits allowing them to continue parking outside their own homes.
Permits in Didcot cost £70 per year for people’s first two vehicles, while over-70s won’t have to pay for that second allocation.
The news has incensed some people, namely out-of-towners, one of whom claimed the charge was “nothing but another tax”.
But Oxfordshire County Council has said the scheme will ensure that residents aren’t crowded out by commuters and shoppers.
A spokesman said any money made from the CPZs goes straight back into enforcing the zones.
They said: “Controlled parking zones (CPZs) are intended to prioritise residents’ parking needs. They discourage commuters, shoppers, and other overspill parking from taking up spaces on residential streets.
“Money raised from permits goes directly towards enforcement – they are not money-making schemes for the council.”
