THERE will no doubt be a few howls of protest but the general thrust of Oxford Brookes University’s proposed parking policy does not seem unduly harsh.

Weighting the cost of permits against the salaries of staff under the current system seems an honest attempt to be fair.

Now, with space at a premium, it is looking at introducing a charge for staff to park each day as well.

That will mean a big rise for regular drivers but occasional motorists car users should get a fairer deal. Hopefully it will lead to some staff reassessing their commuting habits but the obvious risk is that people will seek free parking in nearby streets.

While these people can technically park on any street, subject to parking restrictions, we hope Brookes is alive to this possibility. Residents – a significant proportion of whom will have moved into the area after Brookes was established – can’t have an absolute veto on their streets but the university needs to work with the county council to ensure that its staff are not causing problems.

A lengthy spell of absolute zero tolerance of bad parking should mitigate the worst effects. And if Brookes has to find some way to contribute to enforcement costs, it should, to demonstrate that it is indeed a good neighbour.