PROPOSALS to restrict parking on a shopping street are to be debated by councillors.

Durham County Council is considering introducing a three-hour limit on some parking bays in Beech Road, Framwellgate Moor.

Residents have raised concerns that drivers were using the street to park all day, including members of staff at the nearby University Hospital of North Durham.

Earlier this year, three local councillors asked the authority to investigate setting up a restricted parking area to discourage all-day parking and create a greater turnover of parking spaces for customers using local businesses.

The council is now proposing introducing restrictions on some parking bays, but leaving some parts of the road unrestricted to reduce the number of cars which are displaced into neighbouring residential streets, including Lilac Avenue, to find a parking space.

Four residents have written letters backing the scheme and four have raised objections. A fifth objection was received from the Blockbuster outlet, before the store ceased trading.

Members of the council’s Highways Committee will vote on the application when they meet at County Hall in Durham on Wednesday.