From 19 October the Old Town High Street gets two-hour bays, Ditchmore Lane charges after two hours and town centre bays drop paper tickets. Prices and permits.
New parking rules for Stevenage Old Town and the town centre start on Monday 19 October. Stevenage Borough Council made the orders on 25 September, after consulting on them over the summer.
The changes that most people will notice:
- two-hour bays on the Old Town High Street between Gates Way and Trinity Road, with permits for residents
- paid longer stays in Ditchmore Lane, where the first two hours stay free
- no more paper tickets on the town centre’s on-street bays, though the prices do not change
The council published the notices of making in the Stevenage Comet on 1 October. They are on the Public Notice Portal: one for the Old Town orders and one for the town centre order.
What changes in the Old Town
Five orders come into force together on 19 October:
| Where | What changes |
|---|---|
| High Street, Gates Way to Trinity Road | Parking bays where there is no other control: up to two hours, no return within three hours. Permit holders can stay longer. |
| Gates Way | Double yellow lines along the whole road |
| High Street, west side, outside The Old Bank | A new loading bay |
| High Street, east side, by the bus stop near the Millennium Gardens | A new disabled bay, two hours, no return within three hours |
| Ditchmore Lane | Free for up to two hours, then paid stays up to all day |
The council’s reasons, as the notice gives them, are to prevent and relieve congestion, to avoid danger to road users and to improve the amenity of the area. The orders are as the council proposed them in July, with the same permit prices.
Permits for High Street residents
Residents of the High Street can apply for permits. A permit lets you park for longer than two hours and re-park within three hours. It does not guarantee a space.
Each address can have:
- up to two resident permits, for vehicles the resident owns
- up to two caring visitor permits, if a carer needs to visit
- up to 12 sets of 20 visitor vouchers
| Item | Paper | Virtual |
|---|---|---|
| Resident permit, first vehicle | £68 a year or £40 for six months | £62 a year or £34 for six months |
| Resident permit, second vehicle | £94 a year or £53 for six months | £88 a year or £47 for six months |
| Set of 20 visitor vouchers | £20 | £15 |
| Caring visitor permit | Free | Free |
Ditchmore Lane: free for two hours, then you pay
Ditchmore Lane’s bays stay free for stays of up to two hours. The new order lets drivers stay longer for a fee. The council says the point is to provide for people who want to park longer “while prioritising short-stay parking”.
The charges apply Monday to Saturday, 7am to 6.30pm, except bank and public holidays. There is no return within two hours. Blue badge holders park free with no time limit.
You will need to start a session even when it is free. The notice says drivers without a Blue Badge must register a session on their phone where payment is due, or use the parking machine “for both free and paid for parking sessions”. So the habit of just pulling in and leaving for an hour will need to change.
Town centre: the same prices, no paper ticket
In the town centre, the on-street pay and display bays move to machines that do not print a ticket, plus pay by phone. You key in your registration instead of putting a ticket on the dashboard. The streets covered are:
- Danestrete
- Southgate
- Swingate
- The Quadrant
- Westgate
The order also creates new paid bays in Eastgate, opposite the rear of the shops on Queensway, between the garage block and the bend in the road. They put parking close to Market Place.
The prices, 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, are the same as now:
| Maximum stay | Price |
|---|---|
| Up to 30 minutes | £1.25 |
| Up to 1 hour | £2.50 |
| Up to 2 hours | £3.80 |
| Up to 3 hours | £5.00 |
| Up to 4 hours | £6.50 |
| Up to 5 hours | £8.00 |
| Over 5 hours | £14.00 |
| Blue badge holders | Free |
We set out the proposal, and all ten bays in the draft order, when it went out to consultation in our September story.
What it means for you
- If you shop or eat on the southern High Street, plan on two hours from 19 October, and do not come back to the same stretch within three.
- If you live on the High Street, apply for a permit before the 19th if you need to park for longer. The council’s parking team is on 01438 242242 or tro@stevenage.gov.uk.
- If you use Ditchmore Lane, check the machine or the app even for a short stop. Past two hours it costs from £3.
- If you park on the town centre streets, you no longer need to go back to the car with a ticket. Have your registration to hand.
- If you want a cheaper long stay, the Old Town car parks at Primett Road North and Church Lane North cost £4.00 a day. Our Stevenage parking page has every tariff.
Anyone who believes an order is outside the council’s powers can apply to the High Court within six weeks of 25 September, the date the orders were made. That is a legal challenge, not a consultation. The documents can be inspected at Daneshill House, Danestrete.
Two smaller orders are still waiting for a decision. One would bring the same ticketless machines to the bays on Corey’s Mill Lane and North Road by Lister Hospital. The other adds double yellow lines on parts of Bedwell Crescent and around Oaks Cross. Objections to both closed on 2 October. Our roadworks and travel page tracks them.
Sources
- Stevenage Borough Council, notice of making for the Gates Way, High Street, Old Town and Ditchmore Lane orders, published 1 October 2026 in the Stevenage Comet, for the five Old Town orders, the permit prices and the Ditchmore Lane tariff.
- Stevenage Borough Council, notice of making for the town centre pay-by-phone and pay-by-plate order, published 1 October 2026, for the streets, the Eastgate bays and the tariff.
- Notice of Proposal, Ditchmore Lane and Gates Way, High Street (pdf), dated 16 July 2026, for the original proposals.
- Stevenage Borough Council, proposed traffic orders, checked 6 October 2026, for the orders still awaiting a decision.
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