COWLEY residents have backed plans to set up an exclusion zone outside their homes in a bid to finally stamp out parking problems.

A survey, which went out to around 1,000 householders, asked whether a controlled parking zone (CPZ) should be installed in the area, banning drivers from leaving their cars on designated streets unless they have a resident permit.

The measure was supported by 57 per cent of responders and will now be subject to a formal consultation by the county council.

The survey was conducted by Cowley councillors John Sanders, Christine Simm and David Henwood in response to growing concerns over parking in the area.

Oxfordshire county councillor Mr Sanders said: "The problem has been getting worse and worse, and I think, on balance, this will be a good thing for Cowley."

The border for the proposed CPZ area is Phipps Road, Garsington Road, Between Towns Road, Crowell Road and Bartholomew Road.

The issue has inspired strong opposition, however, as permits would not be free and residents would have to pay upwards of £60 a year to park near their homes.

A letter sent out with the survey outlined the pros and cons of the scheme, with disadvantages including the cost to local car owners and the potential of pushing the problem to the outskirts of the CPZ zone.

Mr Sanders said: "There are a lot people not happy with having to pay to park outside their own home, which is something I have a lot of sympathy with and controlled parking doesn't come without problems.

"Despite that, we also had comments from people who may not be happy but say they are still willing to pay and I think that shows just how bad the parking problem has got."

Oxford city councillor Mr Henwood, when the survey was launched, described Cowley as 'Britain's biggest parking space' and said people were regularly leaving their cars in Cowley before commuting into the city centre.

On CPZs, he added: "It is archaic and draconian but, unfortunately, people don't seem to break their mindset with this kind of thing unless there is an enforceable punishment."

Residents were originally asked about the issue in a 2014 survey but at the time narrowly opposed having the county council enforce a CPZ.

A letter from the ward's three councillors, included with the survey, said they believed people had now changed their minds about the issue in light of increased pressure from new development in the area, including the £60m Templar Square regeneration, which includes plans for 200 new homes.

Mr Sanders said: "As we suspected, opinion has shifted, but we wanted to do an informal survey before an official consultation to make sure the appetite was there."

He added, if approved, the CPZ was unlikely to be in place until 2018, but said: "The biggest barrier to this kind of thing is the money to fund it and we already have that due to development that has taken place locally."