Paperless car parking permits have now been introduced by St Albans City & District Council.

The change affects all controlled parking zones in St Albans and across the district, with virtual permits available for residents, visitors, carers, healthcare professionals, traders and nannies.

According to the local authority, the new system will not only help the environment, but is more cost efficient and requires less administration.

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Business permits and season tickets for car parks will also become paperless, but this will not be the case for senior citizen permits.

Residents who use existing permits can now remove them from their vehicles, as their details are on the system, and they will receive a reminder letter when they need to renew their permit.

Number plate recognition will now be used by parking officers, allowing them to see if a vehicle has a permit.

As part of the change, residents will be able to purchase virtual visitor permits using their account, and activate them when required.

Existing visitor permits will remain valid until October next year (2024).

Cllr Helen Campbell said: "This initiative is part of our commitment to upgrade and modernise our parking services with the latest digital technology.

“We have to keep in step with the times and moving to a paperless regime is also good for the environment.

                                                                                            

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"It helps conserve precious resources and I am sure our residents will want to support an initiative that does that.

“The old system of paper permits was also more time-consuming and expensive to administer, so we will also save money in the years ahead while freeing up staff to concentrate on other important tasks.

“I know there is always some resistance to change, but I hope people won’t take long  to get to grips with the concept of paperless permits.

"After all, a similar system has been in place for road tax for some time.”

Details of how to renew a permit by setting up an account can be found on the St Albans City & District Council website: www.stalbans.gov.uk