Housing Car Park Permits
General Information
Following our parking consultations last year and earlier this year, the Joint Transportation Board, made up of elected councillors from Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council, has approved the parking scheme for all 24 areas listed in the original consultation documents.
All permits will be free, but there is a limit to the number of permits each property can have. We're unable to issue extra permits to individual permits.
Permit Signup
Residents are now required to apply for their permit, with the scheme due to start on Monday 1 December 2025.
Signs ups will be run as follows:
- Zone X - Monday 13 October 2025
- Zone Y - Monday 27 October 2025
- Zone Z - Monday 10 November 2025
An additional signup phase will begin the week of Monday 24 November 2025, but we strongly encourage early applications to ensure your permit is active before enforcement begins.
Enforcement will begin on Monday 1 December 2025. Please ensure existing permits are kept displayed and up to date until this time.
Register for your Ashford Borough Council permit
A guide for applying for these permits can be found here: Permit Setup Guide [pdf] 772KB
Proofs Needed for the Application to be Approved
To ensure your application is processed successfully, please upload the following documents:
Proof of your Residency
- Current Tenancy Agreement
- Most Recent Council Tax Bill
- Utility Bill must be dated within the last three months.
- Bank Statement must be dated within the last three months
Proof of Vehicle Ownership
A document clearly showing the vehicle registration number and address where the vehicle is registered. This is typically found in:
- Your insurance policy documents accompanied with your insurance certificate
- The V5C logbook we will not accept a short term Motor Insurance Cover Note or a New Keeper’s Details supplement (V5C/2) as proof of vehicle ownership.
Enforcement Areas
We are running enforcement in 24 areas in Ashford and Tenterden. A map of these areas showing the boundaries of where permits are required can be View map of these areas showing boundaries of where permits are required [pdf] 4393KB.
Eligibility
Most properties within the scheme will be eligible for two permits and one visitor voucher permit. In certain areas, due to the lack of parking availability, these numbers have been reduced as follows:
Engineers Court and Fortis House residents are eligible for one parking permit and one visitor parking permit.
Stour Heights residents are eligible for one parking permit. Please note: The area situated under The Panorama will still be controlled by CPM and a permit will be required for ANPR parking. CPM continue to enforce this area.
Visitor Parking Vouchers
Most properties are eligible for one visitor voucher parking. These are digital vouchers activated through our permit portal. Each property can use up to 365 vouchers per year. No extra vouchers can be assigned if you use all of your vouchers.
A guide for activating a parking session can be found here - Visitor Parking Voucher Book A Session Guide [pdf] 308KB.
Legal Vehicles
Please be aware that we will only approve permits where all vehicles on the permit is fully road legal with a valid tax and MOT certificate. Vehicles not displaying number plates will be treated as abandoned and removed from the parking area using our powers under the Traffic Regulation Order and the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978. As the landowner, Ashford Borough Council do not consent to any vehicle that is not fully road legal being parked in our car parks without displaying a permit.
