Request for a disabled parking bay
Residential disabled parking bays
Registered Blue Badge holders can apply for a residential disabled parking bay to be marked on the carriageway outside or near their home. These bays serve as advisory markings on the road, indicating that a disabled person resides nearby and that the space is the most convenient for their parking needs. The bays are not reserved for any specific individual and will not be enforced by the Council or the Police.
The Council reserves the right to decline the installation of a parking bay if the necessary criteria are not met or if valid objections are raised. Likewise, if the marking is installed and subsequently causes issues, the Council reserves the right to remove the bay.
Person specific criteria: evidence must be provided
- Be a Blue Badge holder in receipt of higher/enhanced rate for independence/mobility within Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA), or Attendance Allowance if 65+ (must show name, address and details of rate received)
- Have a vehicle registered at the address
Site specific criteria
- Anyone with a Blue Badge can park in any disabled bay, even if it is outside your house (with or without your permission)
- The proposed location is not subject to waiting restrictions
- The proposed location will not be positioned within 15 metres of a junction
- The proposed location will not interfere with traffic flow (see figure 1 for typical bay layout)
- The proposed bay cannot be marked on the footway.
- Applications will be rejected if the customer has a driveway, garage, or off-street parking
- Applications will not be considered if there is an existing bay or a proposed bay within 50m of the application site
A disabled parking bay must be at least 2.0 meters wide, with a minimum running lane width of 3.2 meters. This setup, including a parked vehicle opposite, requires an absolute minimum width of 7.0 meters from kerb to kerb. If the carriageway width is less than 7.0 meters, a disabled parking bay will not be considered.
Other considerations
Neighbours who may be affected will be consulted about the proposed bay location. If any valid objections are received, the application will be refused. There will be no right of appeal against this decision.
Permission will be sought to consult with Adult Services, if the need arises.
If the application is successful, please note that these disabled bays are advisory only and will not be enforced by our Parking Service Civil Enforcement Team.
The installation of a disabled bay does not provide a private parking space on the public highway for the applicant or any resident.
The disabled bay cannot be reserved under any circumstances.
If the carriageway is resurfaced, the bay marking will be reinstated at the expense of the party responsible for the resurfacing, as part of their scheme costs.
Summary of fees
The applicant will pay an initial fee of £150.00 for marking the disabled parking bay on the carriageway. If a renewal is needed, a fee of £100.00 will be charged. When the marking is no longer required, a removal fee of £250.00 will apply.
The fee will support the installation and renewal of bays and assist in identifying redundant bays that can be removed or reallocated for the greater good. The fee will not be levied on the application, which may not be successful.
Dimensions
Figure 1:
- Layout of a disabled parking bay:
- Minimum length of bay 6600mm
- Preferred width of bay 2700mm
- Absolute Minimum width of bay 2000mm
Applications
To make an application, please email highways@bolton.gov.uk.Include your title, full name, address, postcode, and contact telephone number.
While the Council aims to apply the marking as soon as possible, the process may take up to 3 months, depending on weather conditions, from the date of payment.
Supplementary signs
We have no objection to placing a ‘parking for disabled resident’ sign on your property boundary, as long as it is not too large, misleading, or offensive. Our sign shop can provide these for you at your own cost. For more information, please contact signshop@bolton.gov.uk.