A NEW project will use cutting-edge technology to solve the problem of finding Blue Badge parking spaces in Witney and Oxford.

The service, which is likely to deliver information about spaces for disabled drivers through a smartphone app, will be developed following a successful county council bid for nearly £240,000 of Government cash.

Called CASPAR (Collaborative Smart Parking project), the scheme will help provide up-to-the-minute information showing the occupancy of Blue Badge spaces.

It will also provide information on car parks and some city centre pay and display spaces, as well as any new electric vehicle charge points.

Llewelyn Morgan, service manager for infrastructure, innovation and development for communities at the county council, said: “The council is working at the cutting edge of transport at the moment and is helping a range of visions such as driverless cars and intelligent transport smartphone apps get off the ground.

“The way we travel continues to change and technology has a valuable role to play through intelligent transport systems.”

Now that the money has been awarded the county council will look closely at the best ways to deliver the information and the infrastructure that would be needed.

Funding for the project, which will begin this month, was awarded from the Department for Transport’s Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems fund.