The Problem:
Following recent consultations, multiple zones across the
borough (including the six zones around Olympia, Zone F covering
Stamford Bridge/Fulham Broadway, and others) have extended parking
controls to Monday-Sunday, 8:30am-10pm, with a two-hour maximum
stay for pay and display/RingGo parking and no return within one
hour.
While we understand the Council's intention to manage parking
stress and address concerns from residents within each specific
zone, the current system creates severe unintended consequences for
H&F residents who need to travel between zones within their own
borough for essential daily activities.
Resident parking permits only provide exemption within a permit holder's own zone. This means that H&F residents who pay council tax and hold valid resident permits are restricted to just two hours of parking when they travel to other areas of the borough for:
•Taking children to schools outside their residential
zone
•Attending places of worship
•Volunteering at community organisations and charities
(homeless shelters, food banks, youth centres)
•Shopping at local high streets and supporting small
businesses
•Attending medical appointments at GP surgeries, clinics, and
health centres
•Caring for elderly relatives or friends
•Participating in community activities, sports clubs, and
classes
•Attending parent-teacher meetings and school events
•Using leisure centres, libraries, and other council
facilities
•Meeting friends and maintaining social connections
Two hours is simply insufficient for many of these activities. A
volunteer shift at a homeless shelter typically lasts 3-4 hours. A
family shopping trip or attending a child's school event can easily
exceed two hours. Medical appointments with waiting times regularly
take longer than two hours.
The Impact:
This policy effectively penalises H&F residents for
participating in community life within their own borough. It
particularly impacts:
•Parents with children attending schools in different
zones
•Volunteers contributing their time to support vulnerable
residents
•Regular worshippers at churches, mosques, synagogues, and
temples
•Carers supporting elderly or disabled family members and
friends
•Residents supporting local businesses and high streets across
the borough
•Those accessing health services, community centres, and
leisure facilities borough-wide
The financial burden is also significant. H&F residents already pay council tax and many hold resident parking permits (which have recently increased substantially). Being forced to pay additional parking charges of £2-4 per hour (or risk £65-130 penalty notices) to participate in essential activities within their own borough is unreasonable and discriminatory.
Moreover, this policy undermines the Council's own stated objectives around community cohesion, supporting volunteering, encouraging use of local services, and maintaining vibrant high streets. It creates a fragmented borough where residents are discouraged from traveling beyond their immediate zone.
What we are asking for:
We call on Hammersmith and Fulham Council to introduce a
borough-wide visitor permit scheme or extended parking allowance
that enables H&F residents to park for longer periods at a
reduced cost in zones outside their own residential area.
Specifically, we request:
1.A discounted cross-zone permit allowing H&F residents to park
for 4-6 hours in other borough zones at a significantly reduced
rate (e.g., £1-2 per day or a monthly pass option)
2.OR exemptions from the two-hour maximum stay for registered
volunteers, regular worshippers, and parents with children at
borough schools
3.OR a borough-wide resident permit that provides partial
exemptions across all H&F zones for council tax-paying
residents
Other London boroughs have successfully implemented similar schemes that balance parking management with resident needs. H&F residents should not be treated as outsiders in their own borough.
We recognize the Council's need to manage parking stress in
high-demand areas, but this must be balanced against residents'
fundamental ability to participate fully in borough life without
excessive financial penalty or time restrictions.
The current system is creating a two-tier borough where only those
living within walking distance of services can fully participate in
community activities. This is particularly unfair given that
H&F residents are already paying council tax and resident
permit fees.
We urge the Council to work with residents to develop a fair
solution that protects parking availability within zones while
enabling H&F residents to access services, volunteer, worship,
care for others, and support local businesses throughout the entire
borough.
This ePetition ran from 09/12/2025 to 30/01/2026 and has now finished.
70 people signed this ePetition.
Thank you to all the residents who engaged with this petition, as your input is invaluable in helping us shape fair and effective parking policies across Hammersmith & Fulham.
Hammersmith and Fulham has some of the highest parking stress
levels in London. Without time-limited controls, local residents
would face major challenges, including all-day parking saturation,
displacement from neighbouring boroughs, congestion and increased
pollution, and a lack of availability for local residents
A time-limit on maximum stay parking has a number of benefits,
including encouraging turnover for local shops and high streets,
preventing all-day commuter parking, maintaining availability for
residents within that zone, and supporting fair access to kerbside
space.
Allowing visitors to other zones to park for long periods would
undermine the core purpose of Controlled Parking Zones, which is to
reduce parking stress and ensure parking spaces are prioritized for
residents of the zone.
We recognise that local residents regularly travel throughout the
borough for a variety of resident-related purposes. Local residents
are exempt from maximum-stay limits when parking outside their home
zone, so long as they are using the appropriate visitor permit type
for the situation.
To support this, we offer several existing options:
Resident Visitor Permits (RVPs)
If a resident is visiting another resident in a neighbouring zone,
the visitor permit scheme can be used to offer reduced-cost parking
for as little as £1.80 per hour, with no maximum stay
provisions. The permit itself is free, and charges only apply when
booking a session.
Business Visitor Permit
Similar to the resident visitor scheme, a business visitor permit
(BVP) allows businesses to offer on-street parking to their
customers at a reduced rate with no maximum stay provisions. A BVP
offers convenient parking in nearby bays during the controlled
hours of the zone the business is in. The permit itself is free,
and charges only apply when booking a session.
Disabled Blue Badge Holders
Any resident with a blue badge can park in any shared use bay
across the borough, free of charge, and for as long as
necessary.
All Day Trader Permits
A tradesperson working on a residential or business property for a
whole day can take advantage of a trader permit, allowing them to
park for eight hours at a reduced tariff.
Carer and Key Worker Permits
Carers and key workers can apply for a zone specific or
borough-wide parking permit, to support their work in the
borough.
Places of Worship
Where changes to parking controls have been made recently, Officers
have been engaging with places of worship about what parking
support and solutions are available. This includes free parking
permits for visitors who need it most and a visitor parking
solution to allow reduced cost parking, with no maximum stay
provisions.
Residents can apply for permits using this link: Parking permits | London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
We appreciate residents’ continued engagement, which ensures our parking policies remain responsive, balanced, and focused on supporting the needs of our community.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
We recognise the petitioners’ concerns, and we value their
engagement in shaping borough policy. However, the maximum stay
provisions within high-demand CPZs is essential to:
• Protect parking availability for residents within each
zone
• Supporting local businesses through turnover
• Managing congestion and air quality
• Achieving the borough’s transport and climate
objectives
Residents and visitors to the borough already have access to suitable alternatives for longer parking stays, which have been outlined in section 4 of this report. These provide flexibility for visitors either linked to a resident, business or place of worship, while preserving the integrity of the CPZ system.
At this stage, introducing any further exemptions or solutions would compromise the aims of controlled parking management and significantly increase parking pressure in the busiest parts of Hammersmith & Fulham.