MORE residents in Oxford can expect to receive a council charge if they want to park their vehicles on streets next year.

Earlier this month, the county council opened a consultation to ask residents in Wood Farm whether they want a controlled parking zone (CPZ) introduced.

If it is implemented by winter next year, residents will need to pay £60 for the first two permits they can receive. If they want more than that, they will need to stump up £120 for the third permit and £180 for a fourth.

The amount people are charged for the permits stirred debate on the Oxford Mail’s website last week.

OxonBird said: “Call me cynical but this sounds like a money making scheme for the council. £60 a permit, many homes having two vehicles, that’s a nice earner.

“Wood Farm isn’t a well off area of the city, so that money to pay for a permit will cut in to many a grocery bill.”

A major benefit of the schemes is that they prevent people who are not residents clogging up parking for residents. But they are expensive to operate and launch and leave non-residents with a headache about where they can leave their vehicles.

Other residents in the Magdalen Road South area will be able to comment on whether they want a CPZ installed during this autumn.

If they support it and that is supported by the county council, roads including Barnet Street, Essex Street, Hertford Street and Howard Street would all be affected by the changes.

The schemes are run by the county council and the city council but they both have extremely finite budgets to run them.

Earlier this year, the county council’s cabinet member for environment, Yvonne Constance, agreed priorities for the new CPZs. They could see new parking zones set up in Cowley Marsh and Hollow Way in coming years.

In central areas of Oxford, where parking is particularly sought after, residents are entitled to a maximum of two parking permits. They include residents in the CPZs in Divinity Road, East Oxford, Elms Road, Iffley Fields, Jericho and Magdalen North.

Others include streets in South Oxford, Summertown, Walton Manor and West Oxford.

Last week, reader Andrew:Oxford said tough action should be taken to reduce car parking's impact on public transport.

He wrote: “Should ban all parking on the streets that the buses run through.

"It’s chaotic if you ever take a bus through there – especially at school bell time.”

While Sir D was less optimistic about the potential impacts of the CPZs.

He said: “If there are no double yellows, it’s always been okay for motorists to park on these roads. The proposal to introduce a permit potentially has absolutely no impact on the number of cars parked.

“If cars are blocking roads then they should be towed away - just has has always been the case.”

Earlier this month, as part of a key transport report, the city council agreed that new developments should all be car-free if they are close to shops and major transport routes.