THE first phase of a controversial scheme to charge drivers to park on the streets of Durham comes into force on Monday.

Residents in the Elvet and Whinney Hill areas of the city will need permits to park, otherwise they will have to pay charges.

Visitors will have to use pay-and-display machines - GPs and nurses are exempt - and the scheme will be policed by car park operator NCP.

The scheme is part of an initiative to reduce the impact of cars on the city that will see tolls introduced for using Saddler Street.

Durham County Council hopes it will ease the conflict for parking space between residents, students, visitors and people working in the city centre.

Development in the city has meant the loss of some major car parks in the last year, and commuters and shoppers increasingly look to side streets for parking.

A ballot of 700 homes in the area of the first phase revealed that a majority of were residents in favour of the scheme.

However, a 434-name petition signed by people who work in the city centre was submitted by the Howarth Lichfield Partnership firm of architects.

They claimed businesses had not been consulted and complained that insufficient information on alternatives to using cars had been given out - claims which the council rejected.

A petition signed by 48 parents of pupils at St Oswald's C of E Infants School, Church Street, was sent to the council.

The school also submitted plans for an off-street car park that were rejected because they would threaten the council's parking strategy.

County council cabinet member Don Ross said: "We have undertaken a detailed consultation exercise to find out the requirements of all who want to park on the city streets, and a series of measures that meet their aspirations has been designed.

"People accept that the present free-for-all is not sustainable. I hope that the introduction of these parking controls will help reduce the impact of cars in our historic city.''

Visitors will have to pay 30p for half-an-hour's parking. The first 15 minutes will be free. Plans for a £1.50 all-day charge were scrapped by the council. Schemes in other parts of the city will follow