Latest update – June 2025
The Stop & Shop+ scheme, which the council recently consulted on, has now been approved. Work is underway to plan the on-street roll-out and signage programme.
What is changing?
Ealing Council will convert all remaining short stay Stop & Shop bays into Stop & Shop+ bays.
|
Current offer |
New Stop & Shop+ offer |
|---|---|
|
Free stay varies by location (5 min – 1 hr) |
30 minutes’ free parking everywhere |
|
No registration required |
Free stay must be registered (PayByPhone app, website or telephone line) |
|
No simple way to extend stay |
Stay can be extended in seconds at standard cashless tariffs |
|
Enforcement hard to verify |
Digital record lets officers target genuine overstays |
A very small number of originally-listed bays have been removed or re-purposed after an on-street reassessment (for example, 3 sites are now earmarked for bike hangars, and a few locations situated within residential areas were considered unsuitable); all other locations remain as consulted.
Why are we doing this?
- protect local trade – a single, easy-to-enforce 30-minute limit for free parking keeps bays turning over for genuine shoppers
- fair rules for everyone – the same offer on every high-street parade
- cleaner streets – less circling for spaces encourages walking, cycling and bus travel where possible
Consultation headlines (April – May 2025)
- 791 valid responses analysed (66% from Ealing borough postcodes)
- 12% in favour, 82% opposed, 6% neutral or information-seeking.
- main themes raised: business impact, digital exclusion and Blue-Badge clarity
- full consultation report will soon be available
Protecting blue badge and vulnerable users
- no change to blue badge rights – badge-holders remain exempt from time and payment limits
- inclusive access channels were discussed and consulted on with with the Disability Partnership Board and Older People’s Partnership Board:
- IVR phone line for users without smartphones
- PayByPhone cash top-ups at 100+ PayPoint outlets borough-wide
- Assisted-registration option via the parking contact centre
Implementation timetable*
|
Milestone |
Indicative date |
|---|---|
|
Detailed implementation plan published |
within 4 weeks (late July 2025) |
|
Signage and Traffic Management Order works begin |
August 2025 |
|
Boroughwide roll-out complete |
3–4 months from start (by November 2025) |
* Exact dates will be confirmed once contractors are mobilised.
Grace period – For the first 4 weeks after signs go live in each area, parking enforcement will focus on informal warnings rather than Penalty Charge Notices, giving drivers time to adjust. Advance notices and targeted emails to PayByPhone users will flag go-live dates for every shopping parade.
Stay informed
Updates – including confirmed go-live streets and grace-period dates – will appear here and on AroundEaling.com
Questions? Email trafficnotices@ealing.gov.uk with “Stop & Shop+ query” in the subject line.