EIGHTEEN new residents' parking spaces are to be created in a part of east Oxford where problems are rife.

Oxford City Council has published plans to create the bays in leafy Amory Close and neighbouring Kersington Crescent in the heart of Cowley next to the Eastern Bypass.

In its plans, the council explains that the area, like many of Oxford's estates, was built in the 1960s when car ownership was far lower.

Speaking about the situation today in the area it said: "Parking pressure on the estates continues to increase and parking is one of the top three issues raised by residents at Neighbourhood Action Groups and also in resident satisfaction surveys.

"Car ownership on the estates is now commonplace with most families having one or more cars and the increased number of Houses of Multi-Occupation adds to the pressure.

"There is a general shortage of off-street parking which leads to the obstruction of footways by pavement parking and parking on the grassed areas."

The council's plan in Amory Close is to create a ring of 12 new parking bays, with an extra six nearby on Kersington Crescent.

The planning team wrote: "The new parking courts will be separated from the highway by new driveways that across existing footways."