A REVIEW of Blackburn with Darwen’s system for granting residents-only parking orders has been launched.

Officials are preparing new guidelines for how and where the restrictions should be introduced following growing numbers of applications from people living in busy streets.

The shake-up proposal was announced at the borough’s planning committee as it considered a petition for a scheme on Green Street East in Darwen.

Councillors heard that staff from the new Wetherspoons pub ‘The Old Chapel’ had started parking on the road, angering householders.

The report on the 11 signature document said the ‘pub/eatery is proving very popular’.

It added: “The petitioners say that this has increased visitor parking on their street with some vehicles there until the early hours of the morning.

“Consequently, residents struggle to find places to park.”

Now regeneration and highway boss Maureen Bateson has decided its is time to look again at the rules governing the granting of residents parking orders.

They normally mean householders have to pay a charge for reserved spots of between £10 and £25.

Currently there are 11 such zones - three in Ewood, two in Blackburn North, and one each in Infirmary, Kirby Road, Haslingden Road, Queens Park, Randal Street and Shear Brow.

Consideration of the request for a scheme on Green Street East was shelved until the new policy is in place later this year or early next.

Coun Bateson said: “It is time to look again at this whole issue.

“The council’s current policy on residents parking was formulated before the council became responsible for parking enforcement and before recent rises in car ownership.

“We receive several requests for this each year and often we get one group of residents wanting the restricted parking permit scheme and another objecting to it.

“Shear Brow was a classic example of this with petitions in favour of the proposal and other petitions opposing it.

“We need a clear and understandable blueprint for granting these orders.”