WINCHESTER City Council has approved parking restrictions for a busy suburb.

Residents' parking permits are being introduced across Abbotts Barton after a portfolio holder decision notice was issued by Cllr Victoria Weston last week.

Local residents have been campaigning for restrictions for five years to stop commuters overrunning the area.

Vehicles without permits will be limited to one hour waiting between 11am-2pm in Francis Gardens, Chaundler Road, Dyson Drive, Charles Close, Hussey Close, Coram Close, Hillier Way, Simonds Court and Russell Road.

Simonds Court, site of an elderly housing scheme, has an additional two-hour waiting zone just off the junction with Chaundler Road.

Cllr Dominic Hiscock, who represents Abbotts Barton, said the permits were the culmination of hard work by residents, councillors and officers.

He said: “This will be welcomed by everybody. There will be some limited parking periods but it will discourage commuters from parking there all day, which is a real problem. This should clear that up.

“There are one or two people who say we should have tightened the restrictions further but if we had we would not have got them through the system.”

An initial annual parking permit costs £22 but any additional ones cost £50 each. Sets of 10 visitors' permits are also available for £10 each.

The decision could be taken by portfolio holder notice because there were less than 10 objections received.