Accessible and Special Circumstances Parking Permits

Accessible parking permits

The University recognises the importance of supporting students with a disability to enable them to travel to and from our campuses to study. Any student with a registered disabled blue badge has the same rights on the University campus as they have on the public highway. An accessible parking permit allows a student to park in the accessible parking bays on campus. You can find the location of the accessible parking bays and main car parks using the online campus map.

Find out more about accessible travel and parking

Eligibility criteria - accessible parking permits

Blue badge holders

In order to qualify for an accessible parking permit, you are required to provide a copy of your current blue badge issued by a local council.

Non-blue badge holders

We will consider a temporary accessible permit if you can provide both of the following:

• Evidence that you are waiting for an assessment for a blue badge. Information about applying for a Blue Badge is available on the Citizens Advice website.
• A copy of the evidence used to support your blue badge application

If you are provided with a temporary accessible permit this will have an end or review date for a reassessment of the circumstances. If there are delays in obtaining a blue badge that is beyond your control, the temporary permit may be extended for a further period on the production of evidence detailing the delay.

How do I apply for an accessible parking permit?

Accessible parking permits for students are provided free of charge and you can apply for them via the online parking permit system. You will be required to upload appropriate documentation to support your application.

Special circumstances permit

The University recognises that there will be some circumstances when a student has significant mobility impairment and/or is unable to use public transport but who is not eligible for a blue badge.  We may consider issuing a special circumstances permit in some circumstances. This enables permit holders to park in the University’s main pay and display car parks, free of charge.

Eligibility criteria - special circumstances permit

In order to be considered for a special circumstances permit, you are required to demonstrate how you meet at least one of the parking criteria set out below which means that you need to park on campus for study purposes:-

1. You have a permanent and significant mobility impairment which means you are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking.
2. You have undergone surgery, are undergoing treatment or have had an accident that has left you with a temporary significant mobility impairment.
3. You are experiencing a difficult pregnancy that is having a significant impact on your mobility.
4. You have a long-term medical/health condition which makes it impossible for you to travel by any means other than a car. For students without mobility impairment, you will also need to live beyond a reasonable walking distance outside the campus boundary, (i.e. beyond a 1.5-mile radius of the campus boundary).

In exceptional circumstances, we may consider other requests for a special circumstances permit, for example, if a student needs their car to travel to and from frequent medical appointments, such as for dialysis treatment.

What evidence do I need to provide for a special circumstances permit?

You need to provide one of the evidence listed below:

A statement/letter from your GP/Consultant including the following information:

• Information about your disability/medical condition, including a diagnosis and symptoms
• The impact of the disability or medical condition in particular with regards to travel to and from study

In addition to the above, the letter also needs to include one of the following:

• Confirmation that you are only able to walk short distances without needing to rest or without requiring the assistance of another person
• Confirmation that you have a permanent and significant mobility impairment which means you are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking.
• Confirmation that you have a long-term medical condition which makes it impossible for you to travel by any means other than a car.

How do I apply for a special circumstances parking permit?

In order to be considered for a special circumstances parking permit, you need to submit clear, up-to-date evidence of need to student-support-admin@york.ac.uk before applying for a permit. If your evidence is approved, you will be informed by email and sent a link to the online parking permit system. This permit will entitle you to park free of charge in any of the pay-and-display car parks on campus, but not in accessible bays.