Are You a Student? Parking in Farnham#
Parking in Farnham affects students differently depending on whether you live here or commute in. This page explains where each situation sits within the wider parking picture.
This is a living page. It may contain errors and will be continuously updated as new information is shared. If you spot something that needs correcting, please let us know.
If you commute into Farnham to study#
Students travelling into Farnham by car create a similar parking need to workers: long-stay parking for several hours, ideally affordable and reasonably close to campus.
There is already a specific arrangement for UCA Farnham students and staff. Waverley Borough Council offers discounted term-time parking at Riverside 3, approximately a 15-minute walk from campus on a paved, lit route.
Check the current permit arrangements before travelling: Waverley — Riverside 3 car park
UCA also promotes alternatives to driving, including Liftshare and the fact that Farnham station is under a 15-minute walk from campus.
Farnham Voice is not currently proposing a separate student commuter scheme. We are, however, gathering evidence on how well existing public car park capacity works for all long-stay users — including students, workers, and residents needing overflow parking.
If you live in Farnham#
Students living in Farnham are residents of Farnham.
If you live within Parking Zone A or B and your property is eligible for a resident permit, the same parking pressures apply to you as any other household. Surrey’s eligibility test is essentially residence within the scheme, with a vehicle kept at that address.
The Zone A/B parking petition asks Surrey County Council to investigate:
- longer permit-only hours
- appropriate conversion of shared bays to resident-only
- resident overflow into nearby public car parks
- signage and enforcement improvements
- overall capacity across both zones
If you support those proposals, you can sign the petition and take part in the parking survey.
One caveat: permit eligibility depends on the individual property. Some developments are specifically excluded under planning conditions — living within the geographical boundary of a zone does not guarantee eligibility at every address.
The bigger picture#
Farnham’s parking system already recognises different types of demand:
| Parking type | Where |
|---|---|
| Residential permit holders | On-street zones A/B |
| Visitors and shoppers | Short-stay public car parks |
| UCA students and staff | Riverside 3 discounted permits |
Farnham Voice is researching whether workers travelling into the town have adequate access to affordable long-stay public parking — and whether that affects the same car parks already used by students.
Understanding how each group uses existing capacity is central to making the case for any changes.
Read the worker parking research → Read the Zone A/B resident parking research →