No new permit parking survey for the streets around St John's Road, the transport board has decided. A permit would have cost £95 a year; the survey £5,000.

Residents around St John’s Road will not be surveyed again about permit parking. The Tunbridge Wells Joint Transportation Board decided against a new informal consultation when it met on 12 October.

The draft minutes of the meeting were published this week. (Joint Transportation Board, 12 October 2026, draft minutes)

The board said it “notes the concerns being expressed by some residents about roadside parking availability in the southern St. John’s area, however advises that a new informal consultation on the principle of permit parking should not be undertaken.”

It added that its chair will keep talking to officers and ward councillors, and that residents “will be kept updated and fully informed as necessary”.

Why the board said no

The area, known as Zone J, covers about 2,884 homes. The council asked them about permits in 2008 and again in 2013. Both times, support reached only around 10%, and no zone followed. (Parking in St Johns Road area report)

The minutes record these points from the discussion:

  • a permit in the zone would cost £95 a year, the full cost of running the scheme, with no profit
  • the informal survey alone would cost £5,000, plus officer time to handle the replies
  • officers think many of the cars parked in the area belong to residents, not visitors
  • the streets are congested overnight, which points the same way
  • there were views both for and against a scheme, but the level of concern did not reach the threshold for further action

Officers also said some residents had contacted them after the agenda and press coverage, assuming a new permit scheme was being proposed. It was not. The board was only being asked whether to run a survey.

The rest of the meeting

Rusthall to Langton Green cycle route. Kent County Council told the board it has had organisation-wide problems with a new highways contractor. That has delayed the Rusthall to Langton Green scheme. The scheme is still a priority and its funding is still in place, the minutes say. The officers’ report had already put the start of building work back to summer 2027. (Active Travel update)

Councillors “expressed frustration”. The board’s vice-chair will try to put the delays on the agenda of the county council’s transport committee.

Car club bays. The consultation on three new Co Wheels bays, in Mount Sion, Prospect Road and St Luke’s Road, has to be run a second time. The board agreed that the chair will decide whether the order goes ahead once that second consultation ends, after considering any objections. Details of the new consultation will be published “in due course”. (Car Club bays report)

Road schemes. Kent County Council’s highways manager said:

  • Sandhurst Road has been taken out of this year’s programme because of ongoing road works in the area, and will be looked at again once they finish
  • the consultation on width and speed limits in Cornford Lane has closed, and the results will be shared with local councillors and residents
  • a new junction and footway in Horsmonden is part of the Fernham Homes development on land south of Brenchley Road

One resident spoke to ask for a 20mph limit on a lane past Aspen’s Care Home towards the Hall’s Hole Road junction, alongside the proposed 30mph limit. The board noted the highways report. (Highway Works Programme)

The board next meets on Monday 25 January 2027.

What it means for you

If you live in the streets between Culverden Park and Queens Road, no permit survey is coming for now. Parking stays as it is. If you want permits, or want to keep the streets free of them, your ward councillors are the people to tell: the board has left the next step with its chair and with them.

For car parks and on-street charges across the town, see our parking in Tunbridge Wells page. Our preview of the meeting, with the officers’ full cost estimates, is at Tunbridge Wells council this week.