City Centre Business Permits

Please Note, there is a freeze on issuing any new permits of this type. At present, we are only accepting renewals of existing permits.

There is a comprehensive review of all on-street parking permits being carried out during the 2024/25 financial year.  This review may result in some future changes to the permits we offer.  Consultation on any proposed changes will be undertaken and publicised on this webpage.

If your business premises are within the city centre (that is within the Controlled Parking Zone - CPZ), you can apply for up to 2 City Centre business permits for your business. The area covered by the CPZ is indicated in red shading on the below map. 

The permit is valid for all pay to park bays in on-street areas  within the CPZ and pay to park bays in city centre car parks at all times. Car parks on the periphery of the city centre that fall outside the CPZ and where a City Centre Business permit is not valid include Argyle Street; Blandford Square; Blandford Street East; Claremont Road; Leazes Park; Manors; Osborne Terrace; St Georges and Stadium.

The car parks in the city centre where a City Centre Business permit is valid are listed here.

The permit does not provide exemption in any other restricted use bays including Season Ticket permit bays in car parks, disabled bays, taxi bays, electric vehicle charging bays, motorcycle bays, loading bays, permit bays, bays suspended from use, permit bays in the OB3 or WG3 zones and no waiting restrictions (yellow lines and pedestrian zones).

Cost

The charge for this permit is £1200.00 for an annual permit and £92.31 for a 4 week permit.

For Businesses who wish to pay in a single payment via invoice, a debtor name (which is a real legal entity) must be provided during the application.  This can be a public organisation or a limited company, but not a trading name. 

The address of the company for the invoice to be issued must be the full business address and cannot be a Care of (C/O) or PO Box address.  Contact details such as the business email and telephone numbers will also be required in case of queries regarding the invoice.

How to create a Virtual Permit account (for existing permit holders only)

This permit type will now move across to a virtual permit, rather than a paper permit, so all permit holders will be sent information on this process as we approach expiry of their current permit. 

The first step to enable you to apply for your renewed permit to be virtual, is by creating a virtual parking permit business account - click on the following link - Virtual Permit Account 

For a step-by-step guide on how to create an account and apply for a City Centre Business Permit, please click on the following guide - How to create an Account and Apply for City Centre Business Permit

Once you have followed the instructions to create an account, you can:

• Apply to renew a City Centre Business Permit
• Make payment
• Manage your account (such as changing which vehicle the City Centre Business Permit is actively being used with) 

We will assess your application and respond by email. If your application is approved, the email will contain instructions on how to make payment via your virtual permit account.  

How do I pay for a City Centre Business Permit?

If you have received an email offer for a virtual City Centre Business Permit, payment can be made via the link in the email or via your virtual permit account, and the permit will be live as soon as payment has been made.

If you have selected to pay via invoice, your offer email will contain instructions on how to make payment. 

What do I do if I lose my paper permit or it is stolen?

If you still hold a paper permit, we require written notification from the actual permit holder that the permit has been lost or stolen, together with payment of an administrative charge of £10.00. 

Apply online for a replacement permit - Online Form 

The original permit will be revoked, so will no longer be valid for use. This means that if anyone finds your lost permit and tries to use it for their own use, the permit will be invalid and vehicles using it would be issued with Penalty Charge Notices. A replacement permit with a fresh reference number will be issued to you.

What happens if my circumstances change and I no longer require the permit?

If you still hold a paper permit, the permit should be returned, with a covering letter, to Newcastle Parking Services, P.O. Box 2BL, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE99 2BL by recorded delivery/Royal Mail signed for.  This provides proof of posting and receipt.  

If you have a virtual permit which you no longer require, you can request to cancel your permit via your online account. Upon receipt of your cancellation request, Parking Services will cancel the permit and you will be notified via email when your permit has been cancelled.

We will then revoke your permit and calculate if you are due a refund for the unexpired portion based on the number of full weeks remaining on the permit. A £10.00 administrative charge will be applied for the process of cancelling the permit and processing a refund. We will refund the value of the unused portion of the permit to you, usually to the payment card that the original payment was taken from.

What do I do if I change my vehicle?

If you hold a paper permit, the permit with your old vehicle registration number will not be valid for your new vehicle (unless you have retained the same number plate or unless when you applied for the permit you requested that it be valid for use in any vehicle). The permit holder will need to complete a change of registration form - Online Form

There is an administration charge of £10.00 for amending the vehicle registration details on a parking permit. If you apply online, your application will be assessed and if it is approved you will be sent an email confirming this with a link to make an online payment.  You can include an email address within the payment process, so that a receipt of payment will be emailed to you.  

If you have a virtual permit, you can change the vehicle registration by logging into Your Account. Here you will have the option to change the vehicle registration which is live on your permit and add new vehicle registrations. For a step-by-step guide click here.

Please note that you can only have a maximum of three vehicle registrations linked to your City Centre Business Permit at one time, but you can add, amend or delete registrations as and when you require. However the permit is only valid to use with one vehicle at a time. 

Frequently Asked Questions

My permit is still current, what should I do?

Nothing, your City Centre Business Permit will continue to remain valid for use until the expiry date.  When your permit is due to expire, we will write to you to advise that an application for a new virtual permit should be completed.   

Do I have to complete a new application form even if I have a current paper permit?

Yes, as this is a new system you will need to submit a new application if your City Centre Business Permit is due for renewal. 

Will I still receive a reminder that my permit is due to expire?

Yes, you will continue to receive a renewal reminder.  Where we hold a record of your email address on your new City Centre Business permit account, we will send the reminder via email.   
 

How does the virtual City Centre Business Permit work?

When you have applied and been approved for a City Centre Business permit you will be provided with access to the permit via your online virtual permit account.   You would then simply access your online account to enter the vehicle registration of the vehicle you wish to use on the permit.  Civil Enforcement Officers will be able to identify that the vehicle is entitled to park via their handheld electronic device.

The vehicle registration entered into the system will stay in place and be valid to park until you replace it with another registration, which can be done at any time by accessing your virtual account.

I am using a courtesy car what should I do?

If you have a virtual permit, and have a courtesy car because your normal vehicle has been involved in an accident, you can update the vehicle registration in your online account.  Please see the section above titled “What do I do if I change my vehicle?"

If you have a physical paper permit, please contact the parking permit team on 0191 277 2728 between the hours of 8.30am - 3.30pm Monday to Friday or by email to parkingpermits@newcastle.gov.uk.

I can't remember my Virtual Account login details what should I do?

If you forget your login details for the virtual system you can use the “forgotten login/password” facility on the account login page an email will be sent which will allow you access your account and reset your password.

Who do I contact if I have a query?

If you have any general queries please email parkingpermits@newcastle.gov.uk or ring us on 0191 2772728 Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 3.30pm.