The FAQs are grouped into the following categories. Please click each category title to go to that group of questions.
Central Administration Team
Estates & Campus Services
transport@brookes.ac.uk
Parking Policy FAQs
Which staff are eligible for a permit?
Staff are eligible to park if:
- They live outside the 5km exclusion zone located around Headington Campus (including the Marston Road site), provided this is their main campus of work/ office location. The radius is measured as the crow flies from OX3 0BP.
OR - They live outside the 1km exclusion zones located around Wheatley (OX33 1HX) and Harcourt Hill (OX2 9AT) campuses, provided this is their main campus of work/ office location.
OR - Swindon Campus (Joel Joffe Building): They live outside of the exclusion zone of 45 minutes’ public transport journey, provided this is their main campus of work/ office location. Please refer to the public transport map and bus operator websites (journeys times are based on timetabled schedule at peak travel times).
Which students are eligible for a permit?
Students are eligible to park if:
- They are not living in University Halls of Residence – unless they have a disability which requires them to park on-site, or is a PGCE placement student at Harcourt Hill Campus.
- OR
- They live in private residence, outside the 1km exclusion zones located around Wheatley (OX33 1HX) and Harcourt Hill (OX2 9AT) campuses, provided this is your main campus of study.
- OR
- Swindon Campus (Joel Joffe Building): They live in private residence outside of the exclusion zone of 45 minutes’ public transport journey, provided this is your main campus of study. Please refer to the public transport map and bus operator websites (journeys times are based on timetabled schedule at peak travel times).
Please note: there is no parking available for students at Headington Campus (including Marston Road site), unless they are a council Blue Badge holder.
Does everybody have to pay for parking?
All staff, students and visitors are required to pay for parking. The only exceptions vehicles displaying a council issued Blue Badge, a University departmental Vehicle Loan Permit, authorised contractors and University owned vehicles.
Motorcycles registered to a University motorcycle permit and vehicles registered to a PGCE permit are exempt from daily tariff charges, however parking restrictions apply,
Will staff permits cover all sites?
Staff permits will cover all sites for operational purposes, so staff can move freely between sites if needed. Additionally, if you pay the full daily charge at one site this will cover all sites.
Will student permits cover all sites?
Student permits will only be granted for the site of study (this excludes Headington Campus (including Marston Road), where no student permits are issued).
Will I be guaranteed a parking space?
Parking spaces are limited on all sites, as such a parking space is not guaranteed for any individual.
I work at Brookes but am not employed directly by the University (eg security or cleaning staff). Will I need a permit?
Although you are not employed directly by Oxford Brookes, you are subject to the same University terms and conditions and eligibility requirements as a staff member. This means you will have to have a valid permit (Staff - Contract permit) and pay the daily tariff charge.
You will require a University email address to create a parking account and make a permit application.
I am affiliate staff (eg associate lecturer). Do I need a permit?
Affiliate staff are subject to the University terms and conditions and eligibility requirements, requiring a University email address to create a parking account and make a permit application.
Visiting Professors and Researchers are classified as affiliate staff. This means you will have to have a valid permit (Staff – Contract permit) and pay the daily tariff charge.
Affiliate staff who are primarily students are subject to the same terms and conditions and eligibility requirements as a student, and should use this application process.
I have a motorcycle/scooter. Will I have to pay to park?
Designated motorcycle / scooter parking areas are available on campuses, individuals will need to purchase a staff or student motorcycle permit and are exempt from the daily tariff charge. Staff can also add the motorcycles/scooters registration as a second vehicle to a staff parking permit already obtained.
What about electric vehicles?
Electric vehicles will be required to have a valid permit and pay the daily tariff charge, however, can use the designated electric car charging points on campus, subject to availability.
Please note: HMRC views the University’s provision of free-of-charge charging as a benefit in kind to the user, the value of the benefit being the cost to the University of the electricity used for charging. It is therefore the user's responsibility to report to HMRC the value of electricity used.
I am a Hall Warden. Do I have to pay to park?
Wardens in Halls of Residence will need to purchase a parking permit, which will be valid at their Hall of Residence only and daily tariff charge exempt.
I am enrolled on a PGCE placement programme (with the primary Campus being Harcourt Hill). Am I eligible for a PGCE based permit?
Students enrolled on a PGCE placement programme course and living in private accommodation, can apply for a student Harcourt permit subject to the student eligibility criteria and terms and conditions.
Students enrolled on a PGCE placement programme course and living in University booked Halls of Residence at Harcourt Campus, may apply for a student PGCE permit and are exempt from the daily tariff charge.
If you are unsure if you are / will be enrolled on a PGCE course, please contact your course leader.
I have a council issued Blue Badge permit. Do I need to pay for parking?
No, but you will need to display the council Blue Badge permit whilst parked on campus.
Staff or students who have a Blue Badge are required to have a University Blue Badge parking permit, this will be issued free of charge and you will not be required to pay the daily charge, but allows us to notify you in the event we are contacted about your vehicle.
I do not have a council issued Blue Badge permit but have concerns regarding a medical condition.
Staff who have a concern regarding a medical condition should initially contact the Occupational Health team, for discussion on their circumstances. Subject to the outcome of any required assessment, they may provide support for a medical based permit application.
If a student has a concern with a medical condition, they should initially contact the Wellbeing Student Disability Services team (Inclusive Support) for discussion on their circumstances and any required assessments. Students are encouraged to use public transport to travel to campus wherever possible and those in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) may be entitled to receive funding to cover the cost of travel expenses, including taxis where applicable. More information on this can be found on the Government’s DSA website.
If an application is supported, individuals can apply for a Medical based permit based on the time period as stipulated from the assessment. If they feel a permit is required after this date, they will need to contact their assessor.
The individual will need to pay for any permit and the appropriate daily charge is applicable when parking on-site. Medical based permits will permit parking in the standard car parking bays, but not in the Blue Badge accessible parking bays.
How do I apply for a permit?
Staff and student parking accounts are restricted to an @brookes.ac.uk email address.
Individuals will need to firstly create a parking account via the virtual parking system. Once active, you can log into your account to make an parking permit application.
Once the permit is offered, you can validate your permit via the 'My permit applications' icon on the account homepage.
Will I receive a paper permit to display in my window?
No, the University operates a virtual parking system using number plate recognition to identify permits.
How much will a permit cost and how long is it valid for?
A permit will cost £10 and be valid for 12 months, unless University employment / studies ends prior to this end date.
Medical based permits will last for the duration as stipulated by either Occupational Health or Student Disability Services.
What should I do when my permit expires?
Permit holders will be notified by email when their permit is nearing expiration. If a permit is still required after this time, a new permit application will be required.
Changing account details
Parking account holders have the flexibility to change personal details associated with their account, by logging into their virtual parking account and selecting the 'My details' option.
Once an account has been validated, the associated type of account cannot be amended. Similarly once a permit application has been submitted, the associated type of permit cannot be amended.
Amending permit vehicle details
Permit holders have the flexibility to change the vehicle registration associated with their permit, by logging into their virtual parking account and selecting the 'My permits' option.
If a parked vehicle's details are not associated with a valid permit, the payment and enforcement systems will not recognise the vehicle and subsequently will be seen as a non permit holder vehicle.
Please be aware that it is the permit holder’s responsibility to ensure that the vehicle details associated to their permit are correct at the time of parking.
Am I able to register more than one vehicle to a permit?
Standardly, permit types are restricted to a single limited vehicle registrations, however account holders can amend the registration associated with their permit, via their virtual parking account.
Staff who have two vehicle registrations on their permit, are only permitted to park one vehicle during the day. If the other vehicle registered to that permit is subsequently brought on-site, it will not be deemed to have a valid permit.
At what times will I be required to have a permit in order to park on-site?
To park on-site during peak hours, vehicles will need to be associated to an active permit and to have paid the daily tariff charge where applicable. Visitors will require a pre-booked visitor car parking space.
Outside of peak hours, permit holders may park for free; Non-permit holders may park, but must pay the appropriate off-peak tariff charges.
How much will it cost me to park – staff?
Once you have a valid permit, there is a daily tariff charge. This is linked to your salary (based on pay grade and spinal point) and is set out below, as is an estimated annual cost, based on the average full-time attendance on-site:
| Salary bands | Cost of permit | Daily charge | No. of days works (average FT) | Estimated annual cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | ||||
| up to | £30,000 | £10 | 50p | 220 | £120 |
| £30,001 | £40,000 | £10 | £1.00 | 220 | £230 |
| £40,001 | £60,000 | £10 | £1.50 | 220 | £340 |
| £60,001 | £80,000 | £10 | £2.00 | 220 | £450 |
| £80,001 | £80,001+ | £10 | £3.50 | 220 | £780 |
How much will it cost me to park – students?
Once you have a valid permit, there is a daily charge. The daily tariff charge for a student permit holder is 50p.
How can I pay for my parking (permit holders during peak hours)?
On arrival and having parked, permit holders will need to pay the daily tariff charge. This can be done either online via your virtual parking account or at the 'pay and display' machines.
Using your virtual parking account, select the 'Online payment' icon to purchase Top ups (pre paid parking credits) via the 'Top up' link. Then use the 'Book' icon to redeem a Top up credit, confirming the vehicle on site for a particular day. A step by step guide can be found on the parking webpages.
Using the machines, type in your vehicle registration and pay the appropriate fee. The system is virtual system so you will not need to display a printed ticket in your window.
What are the available permit holder tariff durations?
All tariff options will start from once a Top-up or payment has been made and cannot be made retrospectively.
The standard daily parking tariff will end at 16:30, however, permit holders can continue to park free of charge during off peak hours. Top ups purchased via the Online parking account are the equivalent of the permit holders standard daily tariff charge.
In addition to the standard daily tariff charge, half day and two day parking tariff options are only available via the parking machines.
The half day tariff is for up to 4 hours with charges at half the permit holder's daily tariff rate. If you buy a half-day ticket and end up staying longer, you must pay for the additional time, equivalent to a full-day tariff rate
The two day option will expire at 16:30 on the next consecutive working day (based on Monday - Friday), charges at twice the permit holder's daily tariff rate.
How long can I park for?
For permit holders, the longest length of stay is 2 consecutive working days payable at the ‘pay and display’ machines. Faculties or Directorates can apply for a specific staff member to have an extended length of stay / exemption, where there is an operational reason for them to do so
What about Open Days and similar events?
Any University wide exemption to parking charges (eg Open days), will be conveyed via the parking machines.
How is the policy being enforced?
It is important that any parking policy is enforced; however this enforcement process designed to be educative rather than punitive.
If a vehicle is found to be parking not in accordance with the Terms and Conditions, (eg. not paying the appropriate fee or not parking correctly within a marked bay) the approved enforcement policy will be followed.
Where can I view the full Terms and Conditions for parking?
How does visitor parking work?
During peak hours, staff expecting visitors should pre-book a visitor parking space using the online booking system. This will allocate a space in the designated visitor parking areas.
Outside of peak hours no bookings cannot be made, but non-permit holders may park on site and pay the appropriate off-peak charge.
What are the off-peak parking charges?
Any non-permit holder may park but must pay the appropriate charge as set out below:
Off-peak charges for non-permit holders – vehicle registration must be entered at all times
| Times | Charge |
|---|---|
| 0-2 hours | FREE |
| 2-3 hours | £3.00 |
| 3-4 hours | £6.00 |
| 4-5 hours | £9.00 |
| 5+ hours (max 24 hours) | £12.00 |
Any charges should be paid on arrival at the car park 'pay and display' machines. You will be required to enter your vehicle registration details to confirm any tariff option.
Vehicles associated with a valid permit may park for free during off-peak hours
How will deliveries be dealt with?
Where practically possible we encourage deliveries during off-peak hours. Delivery vehicles are allowed to drop-off without any charge. A maximum 20-minute time frame is permitted and the vehicle should not cause an obstruction while parked.
For ad hoc based drop off or collections, this should be arranged with the applicable faculty or directorate, a maximum stay of 20 minutes is permissible. Whilst parked, vehicles should not cause an obstruction and hazard lights should be on to identify drop off / collection.
Can Brookes Sport members park?
Members of Brookes Sport who have been issued a membership number and are paying a full Community membership fee on a monthly or annual basis are eligible to apply for a Sport & Leisure parking permit.
This parking permit is only valid while the individual is a full fee-paying member of Brookes Sport. Please contact the Sports team with any queries regarding your membership.
Oxford Brookes University staff and students are not eligible to apply for a Sport & Leisure permit. If a parking permit is required, staff are required to apply for a staff permit and students are required to apply for a student permit.
Where can Brookes Sport members park (including motorbikes)?
Sport & Leisure parking permit holders are eligible to park at:
- Harcourt Hill Campus Sports Centre car park (during peak and off-peak hours)
- Headington Hill (during off-peak hours only)
- Wheatley Campus (during off-peak hours only).
Peak hours are 07:00-16:30 Monday - Friday. Off-peak hours are 16:31-06:59 Monday to Friday, all day at Weekends and Public/Bank holidays.
How much does a Brookes Sport permit cost?
The annual charge for Brookes Sport & Leisure parking permits is at the prevailing rate (currently £10).
Is there parking for Brookes Sport non permit holders?
Non permit holders are welcome to park during off-peak hours only, charges will be applicable for the duration of their stay.