PEOPLE in parts of Darlington will have to pay for parking permits to ensure they can park outside their front doors.

Existing permit holders will have to pay £25 a year to remain in the scheme, while those wanting new parking permit schemes will have to pay £50 in the first year to offset implementation costs and £25 each year afterwards.

Darlington Borough Council's cabinet approved the new charges on Tuesday.

Four permit schemes are in operation in the town, implemented between 1992 and 2000, and up until now they have been free.

However, two new schemes to be considered, in Stanhope Road and Victoria Embankment, have resulted in charges being made.

Implementing these parking schemes and enforcing them and existing schemes will cost £107,000

Councillor Nick Wallis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We cannot take these new schemes forward unless we set a charge to offset the costs of introducing them and costs of administering and enforcing existing schemes."

The new schemes are at the request of residents and should be operational within 18 months.

Housing association tenants in Wycombe Street, in the town centre, are also fed-up with commuters and shoppers parking outside their homes and hope the council will extend an existing permit scheme to help them.

The Darlington Housing Association tenants have parking spaces in an alley behind their properties, but these are used by shoppers and local businesses, despite signs stating they are for residents only.

A council permit scheme is in operation in Wycombe Street, but it only has space for 13 vehicles. The rest is open parking, which shoppers and commuters use.

Tenant Glenn Freakley, said residents want the council to extend the residents' permit scheme, but are concerned about being charged.

He said: "What we need is residents-only parking at the front, but we are not paying for it. Why should we? We pay enough in council and car tax," she said.

A spokesman for the Darlington Housing Association said a meeting would be arranged with residents and council representatives to try to resolve the car parking problems.