Parking Permits
You can get parking permits from The Parking Shop on North Road, next to Argos. A resident permit is £30 a year and you will need your tenancy agreement and proof of vehicle ownership.
]Temporary permits are £3 for a book (5 one day permits or 15 3 hour permits). You can get 2 books per household in a 4 week period.
University Car Parking Regulations
This page is aimed at students at Durham City who are contemplating bringing a motor vehicle next academic year. It does not apply to students at Stockton for whom there are separate regulations.
STUDENTS LIVING OUT SHOULD TAKE PARTICULAR NOTE AS THERE ARE CHANGES TO THE WAY PERMITS ARE TO BE ISSUED
Durham is a relatively compact city with growing traffic congestion and parking problems. In much of the central city area the Council has already imposed on-street parking controls, and these are expanding. In some non-controlled areas indiscriminate parking is causing significant tensions with local residents. In addition, some landlords have added a clause to their tenancy agreements restricting parking by their tenants.
University regulations require students residing within a defined area in the City and needing to bring a motor vehicle to Durham to gain permission of their Head of House and to register the particulars of the vehicle. Failure to do any of these things is an offence against those regulations and is punishable by a fine of £50 rising to £100 for a second offence.
In order to deal fairly with everyone concerned, Heads of Houses have agreed the following protocol for issuing permits to students who need to bring a motor vehicle to Durham and who are living out.
(a) Students needing to keep a motor vehicle in Durham City must approach their college for an application form for a licence to keep a vehicle in Durham.
(b) In order to obtain a licence, students will need to apply to their individual college presenting their driving licence, a valid certificate of insurance, and vehicle registration documentation (VIN).
(c) First year undergraduate students resident in university accommodation will not normally be granted a licence, unless there are significant personal reasons (e.g. health or academic related) for doing so.
(d) For students living out, the university will only issue a maximum of two permits per property for on-street parking, or one in streets where the local council limit is also one. [This is in line with the policy of the local Council.]
(e) Students failing to register a motor vehicle within a reasonable period (7 days) will be in breach of the regulations and will incur a fine of £50 in the first instance. Second and subsequent infractions of the regulations will attract a fine of £100.
(f) Students with motor vehicles will not be allowed to park on any University property (including Palace Green) without permission to do so. A licence to keep a vehicle in Durham does not constitute such permission.
(g) Motorists who do park on university-controlled land do so at their own risk. The university cannot take responsibility for loss from or damage to a vehicle while it is parked on university land.
(h) Wheel clamping operations are in force in various parts of the University and the City (see local signage).
Controlled Parking Areas
Most streets immediately around University properties have controlled parking (by meters and parking badges).