Disabled bay guidelines

Any Blue Badge holder is able to park in a disabled parking bay whether it is mandatory or advisory. Blue Badge holders can apply for a disabled parking bay and the council will consider the application.

There are two different types of disabled parking bay: mandatory and advisory.

Mandatory parking bays are:

• Available for use by any Blue Badge holder and are usually located near to or within commercial areas.  
• Identified by the 'disabled' carriageway marking and sign located in the adjacent footway.

A lengthy legal process is involved in providing such a bay, which includes consultation with statutory consultees such as emergency services and property owners nearby.

A vehicle parked within such a bay and not displaying a Blue Badge may be parked in contravention and receive a penalty charge notice.

Advisory disabled parking bays are: 

• Available for use by any Blue Badge holder and are located outside or near to the applicant's address.
• Identified by the 'disabled' carriageway only. There will be no sign within the adjacent footway.

There is no legal process involved in providing these bays therefore they can be provided quickly. A vehicle parked in such a bay and not displaying a Blue Badge will not be parked in contravention.

The success of these bays is reliant on the respect of other road users.

To obtain an advisory disabled parking bay close to your home, an application must be made which demonstrates certain qualification criteria. 

There is a policy in place for the provision of advisory disabled parking bays outside the homes of severely disabled people, where it is considered appropriate. A strict assessment procedure is implemented to ensure that those most in need are catered for.

The advisory disabled parking bay guidelines below provide information on which this policy is based.

If after reading the guidelines you still consider yourself eligible, you can contact us to request an application form via our Report It Form below and select Request for Advisory Disabled Bay 

Parking

If you do not have access to email, please call 01744 676789 to request an application form to be sent in the post.

Each application form will have a unique number and it can only be used by the actual applicant.

We will make every effort to deal with applications as quickly as possible. The whole process usually takes approximately 10-12 weeks from receipt of your application to, if successful, the bay being marked on the highway.

Provision of advisory disabled parking bays involves a site survey to check the location is suitable in terms of road safety and maintaining the flows of traffic, and consultation with local residents may be required.