Student car parking (Blue Badge and ASSIST)

Blue Badge Holders

Students who hold a local authority-issued Blue Badge can park at the University for free; they are eligible to park in any bay across the University sites, except for electric vehicle charging bays, visitor bays and motorbike/moped areas. A Blue Badge must be displayed in the windscreen at all times.

As university car parks operate Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) barriers, Blue Badge holders are required to register their vehicle in order to gain access to the car parks. Students must register through a new online Permit Management System (PMS). You will need to complete your details and email us a photo of your badge; all valid Blue Badge holders will be approved.

Applications for the new academic year (September 2023 – August 2024) will open from Monday 14 August 2023 and will remain open all academic year – there is no deadline or cap on number of permits available.

Apply via PMS

ASSIST Parking Permit Holders

All students can apply for parking at the University however, there are limited numbers and strict criteria applies around exclusion zones, placement and Register Carers. Please visit our Travel and Parking pages for more information.

However, if you need to travel by vehicle for your studies due to needing additional support, you can apply for an ASSIST permit.

Students registered with ASSIST or the Mental Health Advisor Service can apply for parking if you have a certified disability or health condition that impacts on your ability to walk or use public transport.

You will need to complete an application on the Permit Management System (PMS) and email supporting medical evidence to ASSIST from a qualified professional (such as a GP, OT, Psychiatrist, or hospital consultant) on headed paper, signed and dated within three months of the application (if the evidence is older, or it is not clear how the condition is still impacting on you at the time of application, you may be required to obtain updated medical evidence).

You can apply for an ASSIST Parking Permit if your condition affects your ability to:

• use public transport,
• walk or stand for extended periods,
• attend University without travel assistance, for example:

1. psychological distress as a result of travelling via public transport or to an unfamiliar location, or being without access to independent transport;
2. requiring access to a vehicle in order to attend medical appointments and/or leave campus urgently/unexpectedly due to the effects of their disability/health condition;
3. requiring access to their vehicle in order to rest in between classes owing to extreme fatigue associated with their condition;
4. requiring access to a vehicle in order to store heavy, bulky or multiple items associated with their studies and/or disability, owing to inability to carry large, heavy or multiple items due to a medical condition/disability.

Application Process

Students registered with ASSIST can apply for the new academic year (September 2023 – August 2024) from Monday 14 August 2023 and it will remain open all academic year – there is no deadline or cap on number of permits available.

There will be a fee of £52.50 per semester for a permit but if you are on campus for 4 weeks or less per semester, please email studentparking@northampton.ac.uk to talk about reduced payment options.

Apply via PMS

ASSIST will assess the application for eligibility; depending on the evidence provided an appointment with the applicant may be required.

If your application is successful, ASSIST will pass your vehicle details to the University parking team to be added to the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to gain entry to park onsite in University car parks (note there is no physical permit that needs to be displayed). ASSIST Parking Permit holders can park in Waterside, The Development Hub and Halls car parks but may not use accessible/blue-badge bays, visitor bays, electric vehicle charging bays, designated motorbike areas and any other clearly line marked areas e.g. Sunley Hotel resident parking.

Get in Touch

If you have any queries regarding ASSIST parking, please ring 01604 892390 or email ASSIST@northampton.ac.uk