NEW parking restrictions set to be introduced in part of North Oxford have been made public.

Oxfordshire County Council wants to introduce a residents-only parking zone in parts of Cutteslowe to stop commuters leaving their cars there all day.

After unsuccessfully attempting to introduce a previous scheme, which would have used signs not approved by the Department for Transport, the authority has now set out new controlled parking zone (CPZ) proposals for public consultation.

County councillor for Summertown Jean Fooks said parking had become worse since Oxford City Council introduced charges for parking at Cutteslowe Park.

She said: “People want restrictions from commuters or park users depending on which side of the Banbury Road you live on.

“This is probably the best solution we are going to get, though one can regret having to have this scheme.

“I would encourage everyone to respond to the consultation, particularly in those areas where there is a question about whether they want to be included in the scheme.”

The CPZ will mean parking in parts of streets such as Harefields, Harbord Road, Kendall Crescent and Sunderland Avenue will be restricted to residents, who will have to buy annual permits for £50 to park there. But these restrictions will apply at different times of day and of the week.

In other parts of Cutteslowe there will be new “no waiting at any time” restrictions and other spaces where parking is allowed for short periods.

The county council wanted to introduce a CPZ which used “non-standard” signs but after the decision to go ahead with the scheme was taken, the Government stopped approving that type of sign so the scheme had to be dropped and re-examined.

County council spokesman Marcus Mabberley said: “The Department for Transport changed its guidelines for non-standard signage after the original Cutteslowe CPZ public consultation and the subsequent cabinet decision on it was taken.

“This means that the non-standard signage that was going to be used in the Cutteslowe CPZ which was previously allowed is now not, and a further round of public consultation has subsequently started because of this.”

The consultation runs until February 14 after which a decision on the proposals will be taken.

To have your say, write to the county council at Speedwell House, Oxford, OX1 1NE.

A final decision is expected to be taken by county councillor David Nimmo Smith, the cabinet member for transport, at a meeting on February 27.