Personalised parking bays for disabled people

The Personalised Disabled Bay policy and criteria was approved by the council’s Corporate Director overseeing parking on September 2020.

Residents with severe disabilities may be eligible to apply for a disabled-parking bay near their home. Personalised Disabled bays may be considered in extreme circumstances for Blue Badge holders that can only walk a very short distance in a highly congested street, with no other forms of parking.

Permits will generally only be issued to disabled drivers and are vehicle- and bay-specific. (No other permit or blue badge is valid for use within the allocated bay except the bay-specific permit).

Housing services that were managed by Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) have now transferred to Tower Hamlets Council as of November 2023, following a decision by Cabinet. Residents with a Blue Badge must apply or contact Tower Hamlets Housing services for off-street bays or Traffic Management Order Bays in estates previously managed by THH. 

There are no charges for the personalised disabled bays and bays are non-transferable.

Please check that you meet the criteria before you apply.

How to apply

Only holders of Tower Hamlets blue badges who are residents of Tower Hamlets are eligible to apply for a personalised disabled bay. 

Applicants will need to provide documents – for example, a V5C (previously known as a log book) or Council Tax statement showing they live at the address. 

Apply for a personalised disabled bay

Next steps

Once an application has been received, the team will need to assess the application and the documentation supplied, before progressing to the next stage.

Once all documentation has been provided, we will then carry out a site visit to assess whether you meet the environmental criteria.

If you meet the environmental criteria, the next stage of the process is to check eligibility by attending a mobility clinic assessment by an independent expert assessor. 

If an applicant passes the above stages, the council will then make arrangements for the implementation of a personalised disabled bay on-street by following the statutory process. 

We will aim to install all disabled bays within six months of request, subject to meeting the council’s criteria, however we will try to reduce this where possible. 

If your application is approved you will need to read and agree to the permit terms and conditions.

Renewal procedure

If approved, your permit will expire one month after the Blue Badge expiry date. This is to ensure that your blue badge renewal is completed before you submit your Personalised Disabled Bay renewal application.  

It is your responsibility to reapply for your Blue Badge with enough time to ensure that you can then reapply for the Personalised Disabled Bay.

The process of re-applying is the same as a new application. You will therefore be required to produce all relevant documentation when you reapply as you did when you first applied. 

The council will not remind you to re-apply for the bay and/or permit.  Penalty Charge Notices may be issued if the permit has not been renewed. 

Appeals process

Appeals must be made in writing within 28 days of the date of the rejection letter. Please tell us clearly the reasons why you are appealing with any supporting information that you would like to be considered. Please note that an appeal cannot be considered if the application process has not been completed or you do not meet the eligibility criteria.

Appeals should be made by email to Parking.PDB@towerhamlets.gov.uk. These will be dealt by the Divisional Director or a nominated deputy. 

Advertising and installing the parking bay 

The entire process can take up to six months from receiving a successful application, to finalising the consultation process and installing the bay on the road. There may be cases where it may take more than six months to install a bay. This is due to high demand.  

Change of Circumstances

If you change your vehicle or you need a temporary permit, for example if your current vehicle is off the road, then you should contact us as soon as possible with the relevant documents (i.e. hire agreement). If you do not do so, then you may receive a Penalty Charge Notice.  

If you no longer need your permit or bay, for example if you move to a different address, then you must inform us straight away and return your permit. If you require a permit at a new address then you will then need to submit a new application. 

Contact us

Parking.PDB@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Related information

  • Disabled Go