Lewisham axes Euro 6 parking surcharge

The London Borough of Lewisham will exempt Euro 6 diesel cars from a new £50 diesel surcharge for residential parking permits. Critics of the original plan to impose charges on all diesels pointed out that the mayor of London’s ultra-low emission zone exempts Euro 6 vehicles. Lewisham’s diesel surcharge is part of a wider reform to residential parking permits, which will see charges linked to a vehicle’s carbon dioxide emissions. A residents’ permit currently costs £120. Under the new policy the price will range from £70 to £250 for petrol vehicles and £120 to £300 for diesels, depending on their CO2 emissions. Lewisham expects the new structure to raise an extra £477,817 in year one. Visitor parking permits will not be emissions-based for the time being. “When the technology advances we may look at emission-based charging for visitor parking,” said officers.