A new permit scheme could be introduced on streets in Clifton where residents say the number of cars parked by students is becoming a "big problem". The permit scheme would cover Orford Avenue, Sturgeon Avenue and Brooksby Lane.
Barbara Payne, 84, who has lived in Sturgeon Avenue since 1980 and Clifton since she was 16, said she "does not like" the parking situation in the area. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It is a problem for my son when he comes to visit.
"It is very bad outside the shops. Students are parking all the way down and on both sides, and the buses have a job to get round."
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Nottingham City Council successfully bid for £18million from the Government's Levelling Up fund back in 2021 so that streets and town centres can be improved for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Conservative Councillors Andrew Rule and Roger Steel said a lump sum of the cash was secured for Clifton West and a portion of this will be going towards the planned project.
Cllr Rule said up to 15 residents had complained about parking in the area, claiming too many students are leaving their cars on residential streets while they attended their courses at Nottingham Trent University's (NTU) Clifton Campus. "We have been hit with a double-whammy of commuter traffic from the trams and students," he said.
"The university says if there is no scheme in place students are perfectly entitled to park as they pay road tax like everyone else." Cllr Steel added: "The area where the shops are will be given special priority. It seems we are going round in ever decreasing circles."
Nottingham City Council is now proposing to bring in charges for permits to cover the cost of the schemes in place. Residents would receive a first permit free of charge, either a residential or visitor permit, and then be charged £35 for a second permit and £50 for a third permit.
The authority said there are already more than 45,000 free residential and visitor permits being used across the city and the cost of administration for the schemes is "in excess of £500,000 per year". The charges would generate an estimated income of £412,500 in a year, the council said, with all proceeds going towards administration.
The move has been condemned by the Nottingham Independents and some residents, but the council argues the income from the charges "will reduce the council's subsidy of the scheme, which is effectively paid for by all city residents, whether they are part of a scheme or not". Cllr Rule believes the proposed scheme in Clifton will nonetheless prove beneficial.
He added: "If it comes to it, for residents to get unimpeded access to their properties, I think they will run with it." Similar problems have been plaguing Greencroft, according to Cllr Kevin Clarke, of the Nottingham Independents.
But Cllr Clarke fears the charges for permits may only make the issues worse. Concerning student parking across Clifton, a spokeswoman for NTU said the university had worked with the council which introduced other schemes in the area, including those in Rivergreen and Swansdowne Drive, for example.
She said: "Being part of the Clifton community is important to us, having been here for almost 50 years and we work hard to ensure our colleagues and students are considerate neighbours. We have invested substantially in a local parking permit scheme run by the council, and will continue to work with the council and local residents to address any issues that are identified.
"Students are dissuaded from driving to campus and encouraged to use alternative forms of transport, such as the subsidised bus service, Ucycle bike hire scheme or Tram Park and Ride. However, when this isn't possible, students are encouraged to use our car sharing scheme and are made aware of the importance of parking responsibly.
"A parking permit scheme is operated on the Clifton Campus which allows students to leave their cars on site if they do not live on a bus route, have a disability or have caring commitments."
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