How to Get a Moving Van Parking Permit in London: Every Borough Covered
Parking a removal van on moving day in London is one of the most overlooked parts of the whole process. Most people assume they can just pull up outside. In most London streets, that means an instant Penalty Charge Notice and a van driver who has to keep moving.
The permit you need is called a parking bay suspension. It is issued by your local borough council. It temporarily takes one or more on-street bays out of public use for a set period, giving your removal van a legal, reserved space to load and unload. Every London borough issues them. Every borough has its own online application, its own fees, and its own notice requirements.
This page covers all 32 London boroughs. Find yours, read the key facts, and apply directly through the official council link.
Before You Apply: Inner and Outer London Are Different
In inner London, almost every street is inside a Controlled Parking Zone. You will need a suspension in virtually all cases.
In outer London, CPZ coverage is patchy. Some outer boroughs have very few controlled streets. Bexley has no CPZs at all. Sutton and Bromley have limited coverage. If you are moving to an outer borough, check whether your specific street is controlled before you apply. You may not need a permit.
For inner London boroughs, apply as early as possible. Camden requires 17 working days notice. Most inner boroughs ask for at least 5 to 10 working days. Leaving it to the last week usually results in a short notice surcharge.
All 32 London Boroughs
Barking and Dagenham
An outer east London borough with limited CPZ coverage compared to inner London. Most residential streets in Dagenham are not controlled. Barking town centre and some surrounding roads have more restrictions. If your street is in a CPZ, apply online with at least a few working days notice.
Barking and Dagenham Council: apply for a parking bay suspension
Barnet
A large outer north London borough covering Finchley, Hendon, Golders Green, and New Barnet. CPZ coverage exists but is not at inner London density. Some streets around Golders Green and North Finchley are controlled. Many residential streets further out are not. Check your specific street before applying.
Barnet Council: parking suspensions and dispensations
Bexley
Bexley has no Controlled Parking Zones. For most moves in the borough, you do not need to apply for a parking bay suspension at all. Your removal van can legally park on the street without a suspension in place. If you are unsure whether any restrictions apply on your specific road, check with Bexley Council before your move date. Where a suspension is needed, the application requires at least 3 working days notice.
Bexley Council: parking dispensations and suspensions
Brent
Brent covers Kilburn, Wembley, Neasden, Harlesden, and Willesden. Kilburn, at the southern edge bordering Camden and Westminster, has dense CPZ coverage. Wembley and areas further north and west have a more suburban character with lighter restrictions. Where you are in the borough makes a significant difference to what you need to arrange.
Brent Council: suspend a parking bay
Bromley
Bromley is one of the least CPZ-restricted boroughs in London. Large parts of the borough, particularly the residential streets of Orpington, Petts Wood, and Chislehurst, are uncontrolled. Central Bromley and Beckenham have more restrictions. Where you do need a suspension, the confirmed fee is £40 per bay per day plus a £30 administration fee per application. The minimum notice period is 3 working days.
Bromley Council: parking dispensations and suspensions
Camden
Camden is one of the most important boroughs to plan ahead for. The minimum notice period is 17 working days, roughly three and a half weeks. This is significantly longer than most other boroughs. If you book within that window, a short notice charge applies on top of the standard fee.
For a domestic residential removal, Camden waives the space charge for the first day of the suspension, covering up to three consecutive bays. The administration charge still applies. Select the correct reason when applying to trigger the waiver.
Camden Council: apply for a parking bay suspension
City of Westminster
Westminster is split into multiple Controlled Parking Zones, each with its own operating hours. Pimlico (Zones A1, D1, Zone 4) is controlled Monday to Friday only. Belgravia and Bayswater/Lancaster Gate add Saturday mornings. Mayfair, St James's, Marylebone, and Fitzrovia (Zones E and F) are controlled Monday to Saturday. No zones operate on Sunday. You only need your suspension to cover the hours when restrictions are active on your specific street.
Westminster also allows loading and unloading on single yellow lines from 8:30am to 11am with no time limit. Between 11am and 6:30pm the limit is 20 minutes. For a smaller move on a yellow line road, this may be sufficient without a full suspension. Apply at least 5 to 7 working days ahead. A £20 short notice fee applies if you book within 10 calendar days.
Westminster City Council: apply for a parking bay suspension
Croydon
Croydon has a defined town centre with controlled parking and busy roads, but the majority of the borough is residential and suburban with limited CPZ coverage. Whether you need a suspension depends on which part of Croydon you are moving to or from. Central Croydon streets are more likely to be controlled than residential roads in Addiscombe, Coulsdon, or Selhurst.
Croydon Council: how to get parking restrictions suspended
Ealing
Ealing is one of London's larger boroughs, covering Acton, Southall, Hanwell, Greenford, West Ealing, and Northolt. CPZ coverage is not uniform. Acton, at the eastern end near Chiswick and Hammersmith, has denser restrictions. Areas further west and north, including parts of Northolt and Greenford, are more suburban with lighter controls. Check your specific street before assuming you need a suspension.
Ealing Council: parking bay suspensions
Enfield
Enfield runs from the urban streets of Edmonton and Ponders End in the south to the more suburban areas of Enfield Town, Southgate, and Oakwood in the north. CPZ coverage is concentrated in specific areas rather than borough-wide. Edmonton and the roads around Enfield town centre are more likely to be controlled. Many residential streets elsewhere are not.
Enfield Council: parking suspensions
Greenwich
Greenwich ranges from the historic town and riverside areas near central London to the more suburban streets of Eltham and Kidbrooke. Woolwich has its own character and parking conditions following significant regeneration. CPZ coverage is not uniform across the borough. Streets near Greenwich town centre and the riverside are more likely to be controlled than those in the outer parts of the borough.
Royal Borough of Greenwich: apply to suspend a parking bay
Hackney
Hackney covers Shoreditch, Dalston, Stoke Newington, Clapton, and Homerton. Shoreditch, bordering the City of London, has dense commercial activity and active enforcement. Stoke Newington and Clapton are residential but well-controlled. Most streets across the borough sit within a CPZ.
Hackney Council: parking bay suspensions
Hammersmith and Fulham
The borough contains a significant number of mews properties, particularly in Fulham and Barons Court. Many mews streets have restricted access: low arches, narrow entrances, or sharp turns that a standard long-wheelbase van cannot navigate. If you are moving into or out of a mews property, check with your removal company whether their vehicle can physically access the street before booking. A smaller van may be more practical. The borough also has riverside developments along the Thames with their own access and loading arrangements.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council: suspensions and road closures
Haringey
Haringey runs from Tottenham in the east to the hillside residential streets of Muswell Hill and Crouch End in the west. Tottenham and Wood Green have active CPZs and high-footfall streets. Muswell Hill has steeper roads, a more affluent residential character, and different access conditions. CPZ coverage is present across much of the borough but the conditions differ significantly by area.
Haringey Council: apply for a parking bay suspension
Harrow
Harrow is a largely suburban outer north London borough. CPZ coverage exists in specific areas but is not at inner London density. Many residential streets in Harrow, Pinner, Wealdstone, and Stanmore are not controlled. Check your specific street before assuming a permit is needed.
Harrow Council: parking suspensions and dispensations
Havering
Havering is one of the furthest outer boroughs, covering Romford, Hornchurch, Rainham, and Upminster. CPZ coverage is limited and many residential streets are uncontrolled. Where a suspension is needed, note that if you require bays on more than one road, a separate application and separate administration fee is required for each road.
Havering Council: parking bay suspensions
Hillingdon
Hillingdon is London's largest borough by area, running from Uxbridge in the west to Hayes and Southall in the east. CPZ coverage is patchy across this large area. Uxbridge town centre and some surrounding roads have restrictions. Many residential streets in the outer areas do not. The experience of moving in Hayes is quite different from moving in Ruislip.
Hillingdon Council: apply for a parking suspension
Hounslow
Hounslow covers Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, and Feltham. Chiswick, at the eastern border with Hammersmith, has denser CPZ coverage and tighter residential streets. If you are moving into Chiswick, treat the parking arrangements with the same seriousness as an inner London move. Brentford and Feltham are more open and suburban.
Hounslow Council: reserve parking spaces
Islington
Islington has near-total CPZ coverage. Almost no residential street is uncontrolled. If you are moving anywhere in Islington, including Angel, Highbury, Holloway, Archway, or Finsbury Park, you need a suspension.
Islington Council: suspend a parking bay
Kensington and Chelsea
Kensington and Chelsea has the highest parking suspension costs of any London borough. The confirmed fee is £72 per space per day for the first 5 days, rising to £108 per day from day 6. The short notice fee, which applies when you book less than 5 working days before the start date, is £371 per application. Apply at the earliest opportunity. The standard notice period for resident bays is 7 working days.
Many streets in Chelsea, South Kensington, and Notting Hill include mews properties with low-arch entrances or narrow turns. A standard luton van may not be able to access the property. Check the specific street before confirming the vehicle type with your removal company.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: parking suspensions
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston has a controlled town centre with clear restrictions around the shopping and riverside areas, but much of the borough is suburban residential. Streets in Surbiton, New Malden, and Tolworth are less likely to be controlled than those in Kingston town centre itself. Where you are moving within the borough determines what you need.
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames: apply for a parking suspension
Lambeth
Lambeth covers Brixton, Vauxhall, Stockwell, Clapham, Streatham, and West Norwood. CPZ coverage is denser in the northern parts of the borough near Vauxhall and Brixton. Further south, in Streatham and West Norwood, coverage is lighter. The borough has a mix of busy urban streets and quieter residential roads, and parking conditions vary accordingly.
Lambeth Council: apply for a parking suspension
Lewisham
Lewisham's CPZ coverage is not borough-wide. Streets near Lewisham town centre and the northern edges of the borough are more likely to be controlled. Forest Hill, Sydenham, Catford, and Eltham are more varied. Check whether your specific street is inside a CPZ before applying.
Lewisham Council: temporary suspension of parking bays
Merton
Merton covers Wimbledon, Mitcham, Colliers Wood, Morden, and Raynes Park. Wimbledon, particularly around the town centre and the streets near Wimbledon Common, has more active CPZ coverage. Mitcham and Morden are more suburban. Parking conditions differ significantly between the north and south of the borough.
Merton Council: suspending parking bays and yellow lines
Newham
Newham covers Stratford, West Ham, East Ham, Forest Gate, and Plaistow. Some newer residential towers in the Stratford area have their own loading arrangements and building management processes, similar to Canary Wharf in Tower Hamlets. If you are moving into a new-build tower in Stratford, contact the building management team about service lifts and loading bays separately from the council application. Newham requires a minimum of 10 working days notice for parking bay suspension applications.
Newham Council: apply for parking bay suspensions
Redbridge
Redbridge covers Ilford, Seven Kings, Wanstead, Woodford, and Gants Hill. It is a suburban outer east London borough with limited CPZ coverage. The confirmed fee is £27 per car space (5 metres) per day, or £67 per space per week, with a £55 administration fee. Applications require at least 7 working days notice.
Redbridge Council: bay suspensions
Richmond upon Thames
Richmond covers Richmond, Twickenham, East Sheen, Kew, and Ham. The borough has a mix of controlled streets near Richmond town centre and along the river, and quieter residential roads further out. Streets near Richmond Park and the Thames tend to be more actively managed.
Richmond Council: parking suspensions
Southwark
Southwark runs from London Bridge and Bermondsey in the north to Peckham, Dulwich, and Crystal Palace in the south. The northern areas, including Bermondsey, Borough, and Elephant and Castle, have dense CPZ coverage and are logistically comparable to central London. Peckham and Dulwich have their own character and conditions. Where you are in the borough makes a real difference to what you need to arrange.
Southwark Council: parking bay suspension
Sutton
Sutton has only a small number of Controlled Parking Zones concentrated in specific parts of the borough. Many residential streets in Cheam, Carshalton, and Wallington are not controlled. Before you apply for a suspension, check whether your street is actually inside a CPZ. In many cases, you will not need one.
Sutton Council: parking dispensations and suspensions
Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets covers Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Bow, Stepney, Poplar, and the Isle of Dogs including Canary Wharf. For standard residential streets, apply for a parking bay suspension through the council. The minimum notice period is 7 working days, with an emergency option at a minimum of 3 working days at an additional surcharge.
If you are moving into or out of a managed residential tower in the Canary Wharf or Isle of Dogs area, a council suspension alone is not enough. Canary Wharf is privately managed. You also need to contact the building management team to book a service lift time slot, arrange loading bay access, and arrange security clearance for the removal team. Do this before the council application, as building availability is often the limiting factor.
Tower Hamlets Council: apply to suspend a parking space
Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest covers Walthamstow, Leyton, Leytonstone, Chingford, and Highams Park. CPZ coverage is growing but uneven. Some Walthamstow streets are controlled; many in Leyton and Leytonstone are not. Check the council's parking pages to confirm whether your specific street is inside a CPZ before applying.
Waltham Forest Council: parking suspensions and dispensations
Wandsworth
Wandsworth covers Battersea, Clapham, Tooting, Balham, and Putney. CPZ coverage is more concentrated in the north of the borough, particularly in Battersea and the streets around Clapham. Further south, in Tooting and towards Wimbledon, coverage is lighter. Check whether your specific street is controlled before assuming you need a suspension.
Wandsworth Council: apply for a parking bay suspension
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This guide is kept up to date but council fees and processes change. Always verify current charges and notice periods directly with your borough council before your move date.