Parking Bay Suspension Westminster: From £51 a Space

A parking bay suspension in Westminster costs £51 a space for the first day in zones A, C and D, and £55 in zones B, E, F and G, and the council asks for 10 working days’ notice. Book within 10 calendar days of the start date and, if the council grants it, you pay a £20 short notice fee on top. You book online through Westminster City Council’s self-serve suspensions system, which shows you on a map whether the bays outside your door are free.

That covers most people’s reasons for needing one: a removal van, a skip, building work, a wedding or a funeral. Below are the full charges, what counts as a space, the extra licences that catch people out, and what to do when a car is sitting in the bay you paid for. We took every figure from the council’s parking bay suspensions page and its suspension terms and conditions (version 1.4, February 2024) on 11 November 2026.

Westminster parking bay suspension charges

The council charges per space, per day, on a four-tier scale that rises the longer a bay is out of use:

Which column you are in depends on the parking zone:

• Zones A, C and D: Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Pimlico (A); Harrow Road, Queen’s Park and Maida Vale north (C); Victoria, Westminster and Millbank (D).
• Zones B, E, F and G: Bayswater and Maida Vale south (B); Mayfair and St James’s (E); Hyde Park, Marylebone and Fitzrovia (F); Soho, the West End and Covent Garden (G).

Our guide to Westminster parking zones and hours has the sub-zones if you are not sure which one your street is in.

A space is five metres. Where bays are not marked out individually, the council counts every five metres of kerb as one space. A removal lorry or a skip lorry longer than that needs two spaces, and you pay for both.

A gap resets the clock. A second booking is only treated as new, starting again at the day 1 rate, if there is at least one clear week between the two.

What it costs in practice

Worked from the table above:

• A one-day move in Pimlico, two spaces: 2 x £51 = £102.
• The same move in Marylebone or Mayfair: 2 x £55 = £110.
• Two weeks of building work in Victoria, one space: £51 + (4 x £55) + (9 x £84) = £1,027.
• Two weeks of building work in Soho, one space: £55 + (4 x £59) + (9 x £90) = £1,101.

Add £20 for each booking made inside 10 calendar days. Long jobs get expensive fast because the rate jumps from day 6, so book the days you will actually use rather than a generous margin.

Notice periods, including Christmas

The council asks for 10 working days’ notice. Its terms add one more day where a bank holiday falls in the notice period, and two more days over Easter and Christmas. For a move in the week after Christmas, that means applying before mid-December.

Short notice bookings are reviewed by the council and can be refused or withdrawn before the start date. Genuine emergencies, such as a gas or water leak or a road collapse, are handled by phone on 020 7823 4567 (option 4) rather than online.

How to book

1. Check the map. The council’s interactive suspension map shows current and upcoming suspensions and lets you check whether the bays you want are free.
2. Book and pay online through the self-serve system. You can book several bays or several dates in one go, and amend or cancel later. Payment is taken at booking, and must be in at least three days before the start date or the suspension can be cancelled.
3. Housing estates are the exception. The online system cannot book bays on council housing estate land; for those, download the paper application form and email or post it.
4. Wait for the signs. The council puts up large yellow suspension signs on the street before the start date to warn other drivers.

For filming or events, the request goes to the council’s City Promotions, Events and Filming team first, and filming suspensions are charged with VAT.

Free suspensions

The council does not charge (though you must still book) for:

• funerals and weddings, for official cars only, and only the first three bays;
• security suspensions for the Metropolitan Police;
• events run by charities registered with Westminster City Council;
• blood transfusion service vehicles.

Skips, scaffolding and hoarding need their own licence

A suspension only reserves the kerb. If you are putting something on the road, you need a separate permission as well, obtained before the suspension starts:

• Skips need a skip licence.
• Scaffolding, hoarding and fencing, and portable toilets need permission from the council’s licensing team.
• Filming needs a filming permit.

The council is explicit that a suspension “in no way supersedes the need for the licence/permit”.

Disabled bays, car clubs and EV chargers

Try to avoid them. If you need a dedicated bay suspended, such as a disabled, doctor, diplomatic or car club bay, you must also suspend and pay for a like-for-like replacement bay nearby. The council asks applicants not to suspend electric vehicle charging, police or ambulance bays wherever possible, and says such applications may be refused.

For large jobs, suspending more than 20 resident bays means paying for alternative resident parking: five replacement bays for every 20 suspended.

When someone is parked in your bay

The council warns that a suspension “does not guarantee that the bay will be clear”. If a car is in it once the yellow signs are up:

1. Call Parking Services on 020 7823 4567, option 4, with the vehicle’s registration, make, model and the street name.
2. An on-street officer will attend, and the council may send a vehicle to relocate the car. Relocation vehicles generally run Monday to Saturday, 8.30am to 2pm, and are not guaranteed.
3. If the car cannot be moved within four hours of your call, the council will rebook the suspension free of charge or refund you in full.
4. Meanwhile, park as safely as you can in a pay to park bay or on a single yellow line, and give the council your own vehicle’s details.

Changes, cancellations and refunds

• Amending dates or location is free until the sign is up. After that, it costs £20. You cannot change the reason for the suspension.
• Cancel by 3.30pm the day before the bay is not needed to get money back. A full refund applies if the sign has not yet gone up; once it has, the council keeps £20 per space.
• Finished a move early? Put the “return to service” sticker across the front of the suspension sign so the bay can be used again.

The council can also cancel a suspension without notice for a major event, incident or emergency, with refunds “as appropriate”.

If you end up with a ticket during a move, our page on appealing a Westminster parking fine explains the process, and visitors helping you move may need a visitor parking permit.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to suspend a parking bay in Westminster? £51 a space for the first day in zones A, C and D, and £55 in zones B, E, F and G. Days 2 to 5 cost £55 or £59 a day, days 6 to 42 £84 or £90, and day 43 onwards £112 or £121.

How much notice do I need to give? 10 working days. Add one day if a bank holiday falls in that period and two more over Easter and Christmas. Bookings within 10 calendar days carry a £20 short notice fee if granted.

How long is one suspended space? Five metres, where the bays are not individually marked. A vehicle longer than that needs two spaces.

Do I need a suspension for a skip in Westminster? You need a skip licence as well. The suspension reserves the kerb; the licence permits the skip. Get both before the start date.

What if someone parks in my suspended bay? Call Parking Services on 020 7823 4567, option 4. If the council cannot move the car within four hours, it will rebook the suspension free or refund you in full.

Can I get a refund if I finish early? Yes, if you tell the council by 3.30pm the day before. A full refund applies before the sign goes up; after that the council keeps £20 per space.