Public waiting up to 13 weeks for Cork city parking permit

Cork City Hall. City officials have heard complaints from several city councillors about aspects of the new parking permits policy.

Some people are waiting up to 13 weeks for a residents’ parking permit in Cork city following the introduction of a more robust policy designed to curb abuse of the system.

City officials have heard complaints from several city councillors about aspects of the new policy, and faced calls for a review of the problem areas.

The policy was adopted by the council last March arising out of a review of the entire system requested by councillors last year.

It requires one additional piece of information to be submitted by someone seeking a permit, depending on the nature of their residency.

Homeowners must submit the page of their home insurance policy that states the name of the insured, the property being insured, and that both the building and contents are insured. All monetary values or specific risks or claims history can be redacted.

If an applicant does not have home insurance, they can submit other details to demonstrate home ownership, such as the title deeds of the property.

Tenants must submit proof that the property or tenancy is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board.

Applications for permits can be made by post or online.

Delays

But several councillors said the changes have led to long delays in the renewals of existing permits and in the issuing of new permits.

Independent Cllr Mick Finn said the new policy requires “overly onerous proof” while Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle criticised the “restrictive and cost prohibitive ask” of obtaining a solicitor’s letter to validate a person’s residency, which he said should be able to be confirmed by peace commissioners, city councillors, or gardaí.

Labour Cllr John Maher called for the restoration of the in-person application or renewal facility in City Hall, Independent Cllr Paudie Dineen said the new policy has made the application and renewals process “problematic” and should be reviewed, while fellow Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy, and Sinn Féin Cllrs Ken Collins and Mick Nugent also questioned the need for proof of home insurance.

'Incomplete applications'

In a detailed report, officials said a significant factor in “perceived delays” is the submission of “incomplete applications”, with about 40% of all applications received being deemed incomplete.

They said that for up to nine months of the year, completed applications are processed in five to six working days, and there is a 40 to 50% increase in the number of applications between August and October, pushing the turnaround time out to between 10 to 15 working days.

The chairman of the city’s roads and transportation strategic policy committee (SPC), Fine Gael Cllr Des Cahill, urged people to read the requirements carefully, and submit all of the required information.

And he said the delays should ease over the coming weeks.