North Berwick parking scheme

Residents’ parking permit details

A residents’ permit may only be issued to a qualifying resident in possession of a qualifying vehicle (See Section 2 for what constitutes a qualifying vehicle). For the purposes of the following terms and conditions, a ‘qualifying resident’ is defined as:

• a person who is solely or mainly resident at premises the postal address of which is in a road described in Schedule 16; or
• any person who owns, leases and resides at the property on a long-term basis of any residential property the postal address of which is in a road described in Schedule 16 or where the said property is not the sole or main place of residence and is used as a second home or holiday home.

Schedule 16 is a list of roads, or part of a road, where permits will be issued. A copy is available upon request.

You will need to confirm where you live by uploading one of the following:

• current Council Tax statement (in your name and for the address for which you are applying)
• utility bill (no more than 3 months old in your name and for the address for which you are applying)
• mortgage agreement (not a mortgage offer) (no more than 3 months old)
• rental / tenancy agreement (no more than 3 months old)

Each resident is entitled to one residents’ permit. There is a maximum limit of two permits per household. In exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Council, one additional qualifying vehicle may be added to the permit. In such circumstances the keeper of each vehicle must be a qualifying resident at the same address as the permit holder.

In situations where the residential property is not the sole or main place of residence and is being used as a second home or holiday home, only one permit will be issued for said property.

If the vehicle is not registered in your name, you must upload a copy of the insurance certificate/schedule detailing your name, address, postcode and vehicle registration or a recent letter from the insurance company verifying the vehicle is usually kept by you at an address within the Controlled Parking Zone.

In exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Council, two vehicles may be registered to a single permit belonging to a qualifying resident, a merged permit. Where a merged permit is issued, only one vehicle may be parked at one time. Requests for a merged permit should be emailed to parking@eastlothian.gov.uk

Vehicle application requirements

A qualifying vehicle is defined as a motor car constructed or adapted solely for carrying no more than seven passengers (excluding the driver), a goods vehicle not exceeding 3050kg; motor cycle with a side car attached or an invalid carriage which in each case is not drawing a trailer or caravan.

Permitted parking areas

A residents’ permit is only valid for parking in permit holders or combined parking places provided there are no further parking restrictions in force and as follows:

• address located in Central Zone – permit valid in Central, East and West Zones
• address located in East Zone – permit valid in East Zone only
• address located in West Zone – permit valid in West Zone only

Verification of parking permit

We do not issue paper copies of parking permits. On-street, Parking Attendants will use their handheld devices to check for a valid residents parking permit using the vehicle registration number.

In the case of merged permits, where two vehicles are registered to use the same permit, only one vehicle may be parked at one time. You must access your online permit account to assign the electronic permit to the relevant vehicle making it eligible to park on-street.

Conditions of use

Residents’ permits can only be used for qualifying vehicles which must meet the application requirements at all times when using the permit. If, for any reason, the vehicle no longer meets the permit application requirements then the permit can no longer be used for that vehicle and the permit should be returned to the Council.

Change of details

If you change your address and you are moving to another parking zone please email parking@eastlothian.gov.uk and we will explain how to change your permit. You may be eligible for a refund for any remaining time. This will be issued back to the card you used to purchase the permit.

We can issue a temporary permit for five days, this will allow you to continue to park in the zone, whilst you complete your move. When you contact us please ask about arranging a temporary permit.

If you change your address but stay within the same zone, you do not need to change your permit, however, you should access your online account to update your address. This request will be approved by our back office.

If you need to change your vehicle, you must access your online account. You will be required to register the details of the new vehicle, and a request should be made for the change to be approved by the back office. You will not be able to park until your request has been approved. You cannot park until your permit is active.

If you require a temporary change to your permit because your vehicle is off the road being repaired and you have a courtesy car for a short period you should email parking@eastlothian.gov.uk. You must supply proof that the vehicle is being repaired and evidence linking you to the temporary vehicle. You will not be able to park until your request has been confirmed in email by the Parking Team.

Refunds due to change of details

Refunds will always be credited back to the card that was used to make payment. However, due to financial legislation, we can only refund a payment back to a payment card if the payment is less than 180 days old. If your payment is older than this you should email parking@eastlothian.gov.uk to request your refund via an alternative method.

Permit renewals

We will use the email address on your permit account to send an email to you before your permit expires. However, it is your responsibility to keep your email address up to date and to renew your permit on time.

Voluntary surrender of permit

Permit holders may apply to cancel their permit at any time. You will receive a refund (back to the card you used to purchase the permit) for each complete unexpired month.

 Please note, due to financial legislation, we can only refund a payment back to a payment card if the payment is less than 180 days old. If your payment is older than this you should email parking@eastlothian.gov.uk to request your refund via an alternative method.

The Council may suspend or cancel a permit in the following circumstances: (a) if the permit ceases to be valid (1) the residents’ permit holder ceases to be a qualifying resident; (2) the permit holder ceases to be the keeper of the vehicle, or, as the case may be, vehicles for which the permit was issued; (3) the vehicle in respect of which such permit was issued has being adapted or being used in such a manner that it is no longer a qualifying vehicle (b) if no payment is received (c) if requested in writing by the Council.

Misuse of permits

The Council reserves the right to suspend or cancel residents’ permits without refund if they have reason to believe that the permit is being misused. To help us prevent fraud and abuse of the residents’ permit process, spot checks will be carried out on a monthly basis. Permit holders will be contacted by email and asked to upload any missing or out of date documentation to prove their residential eligibility or vehicle details. Customers will be given 21 days in which to provide the requested documents. Your permit may be suspended or cancelled if we do not receive a reply or the required documentation. If your parking permit is cancelled, you may receive a parking ticket which could potentially lead to your vehicle being impounded.

Offences and penalties

It is an offence to mishandle, alter, make or fake any parking document with intent to deceive or to make a false statement in order to obtain such a document for yourself or any other person by virtue of section 115 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Any person suspected of doing so will always be reported to the police who will refer the matter to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution. The penalty if found guilty of mishandling, altering, making or faking any parking document is a maximum fine of £5,000 or 2 years in prison. The penalty if found guilty of making a false statement in order to obtain such a document for yourself or any other person is a maximum fine of £2,500.

Privacy

To deliver our services we need to collect, store, use, share and dispose of personal information. This is known as data processing. The information collected when you apply for a parking permit will be used by the Council to process your application as we have an obligation under the law to maintain and manage roads in East Lothian. Before submitting your parking permit application, you should read our privacy notice which can be found at: https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210598/access_to_information/12340/privacy_and_cookies  

Contact details

The Parking Team can be contacted by e-mail at parking@eastlothian.gov.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact us before submitting your application form if you have any questions.

Only applications with an “Active” Residents’ Permit will be accepted as valid. An application with any other status such as “waiting for payment” is not considered valid and may lead to the issue of a parking ticket after which your vehicle may be removed to our Car Pound.