Train track and permit parking

[nearly50andstillhavenoidea]

I'm looking to downsize for various reasons but mainly to reduce my monthly mortgage payments. I'm in a 70's semi on the outskirts of a market town. I'd like something with more kerb appeal and character. I've seen a Victorian semi in town but it has a train line running along the end of the garden (main line into London. I'm in West Sussex) and it's permit parking. No guaranteed space. The house is lovely though. Exactly what I want, plus on at £50k less than mine.

Are train lines and permit parking that bad?

I hated permit parking when I lived at home. Was awful getting back from work - no space, had to drive round and round.

Or you had loads to carry and the only space was miles away.

Lived near train tracks too. I got used to the noise after a while. The parking would bother me more.

We have a train line at the bottom of our garden. Got used to it after a week or so, and now only really notice if the trains aren't running for some reason.

I would not like permit parking though.

The parking is niggling at me more than the train to be honest.

Although I work in a school and get home at 4pm each day so was hoping I could potentially get a space a little easier..

There is also potential for a dropped kerb...

I’ve lived with both. Train line wasn’t an issue, got used to it very quickly. Permit parking can be an issue, massively varies from area to area. I’d suggest you have a drive round at various times and see how it looks.

I have both.
The train is a branch line and doesn't bother us.
Permit parking is fine but:

• That one evening when you come home with a huge amount of shopping and it's dark and raining will be the one when you can't get a parking space near your house.
• Visitors hate it.

Don't be fooled by the drop kerb thing OP. We lived on a road with permit parking and Estate Agents were always putting "potential for a dropped kerb" in particulars. It wasn't true at all, the Council would never allow people to drop their kerbs as it reduced the number of spaces on the road and put more pressure on an already oversubscribed system. Generally people on the road would double park outside their house to load/unload and we all just put up with it - it was only ever an issue when someone tried to use the road as a cut through and would get all honky when people were loading. I would still buy that house again, it was the right house for us at the time but I am very glad to have off street parking now!

I'd be more worried about the parking than the railway line.

I posted a thread on here about a train line (over ground tube line) next door. I didn't buy the property, but I now live approx. 50m away on the other side of the train tracks and I have to say I don't notice the noise at all. There are 35 trains an hour that go past, and I notice approximately 1 or 2, usually when I'm on the loo with nothing better to do.

The parking wouldn't worry me if there are no draws for non-residents to park (local shop parade, the train station etc.). If it's likely that you'll get people driving there specifically to park for any period of time, it's likely you'll have issues. If it's just residents I expect you'd be fine.

RN I was thinking that too re the dropped kerb. I drove down there last night at 1845 and there were no spaces with only a couple of houses having dropped kerbs. The parking zone restrictions are in place 12-2pm to stop commuters.

I'm going for a 2nd viewing at 11am tomorrow so will have another look at parking.

Heavy shopping doesn't really bother me as I can get it delivered, however I have had parking rage at a previous property 🤣, I might have to rein it in for this one though!

You might want to check that there isn't a waiting list for parking permits. I was looking at houses in Brighton a few years ago and found out that living in the area didn't automatically qualify me for a parking permit. There was a waiting list of over a year! It put me off buying a house in that part of Brighton.

I've lived alongside 2 train lines (and one crossing!) And honestly after a few days you don't notice it. Only if on the rate occasion a transport truck goes through, or on the very rare but lovely occasions the Christmas steam train goes by (am in West Sussex so this could go past you too!)

The permit thing wouldn't bother me too much if its as you say, daytime hours.

My grandmother lives close to the train line. I would never buy a house next to the train. It’s absolutely awful.

Lily they're currently allowing one residents permit and there is a waiting list for any additional. Luckily I'm the only adult 😊

Would I be correct to assume the permits could be withdrawn leaving no parking? Personally i wouldn't buy any property without its own owned parking

12 til 2 is quite civilised. Ours is 8 til 6 which is harsh. Nothing more annoying than having to shell out one of my limited stock of visitors permits for a plumber who’s only here for 45 minutes first thing in the morning.

I don’t mind on-street permit parking (we’d be overrun with commuters if we didn’t have resident permits) but in our area most houses have either one or zero cars, so even if the slot outside our house is taken we can always park within twenty yards or so.

It sounds like your proposed street is more tricky and you should investigate further.

Permit parking should make it easier for you to park though. Have a look and see how it looks when you’d be wanting to park, although its not typical at the moment. 12-2 means it’s just to prevent people parking all day for work/station etc.
Find out how guests are dealt with.

@Funf

Would I be correct to assume the permits could be withdrawn leaving no parking? Personally i wouldn't buy any property without its own owned parking

No the council can’t do that do residents. And why would they? The permit will have been introduced to let residents have a better chance of parking.

No the council can’t do that do residents. And why would they?

They could replace it with pay and display parking rather than permit parking. They don't have to make sure people can park on their own streets.

Having lived in a house with a parking problem, parking is my actual top priority now. Even if you are laid back about parking, other people won't be. People get upset when you park outside their houses for example. You just can't rely on other people not to be wankers.

The other thing I hated about it was talking about and thinking about parking. Having to explain to people who came to visit where they could or couldn't park or worse, asking them to move their car after they have arrived.

I have the Met line running at the bottom of my garden (on a wooded embankment). In fairness, the garden's an acre so it's not that near my house but, after the first couple of days, I didn't really notice it. I might feel differently if they were high speed trains rather than trundling tubes.

But Savoy “They could replace it with pay and display parking rather than permit parking. They don't have to make sure people can park on their own streets.”
If you’re going down that route, that could happen on any road, not just a permit one?

I’ve had permit parking in two different places and it was very much to protect the residents. I think you need to mooch around/ask some locals and get a feel for it.

I suppose it could happen to any street but it's quite unlikely.

Most street that people live on don't have issues with parking from non-residents, It's more of a possibility if the street is a place where people who don't live there want to park there.

I don't think you can say that councils 'can't' change parking restrictions.