Burnaby residents may soon need a permit to park in front of their homes once the city introduces a new program meant to keep non-residents from parking on crowded streets.

On Monday, city council approved a pilot in Brentwood, where many residents have complained about non-residents parking on their streets, and directed staff to plan a citywide permit system.

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“Increasing densification within the city is creating increased demand for on-street parking. This demand often spills into single-family neighbourhoods, causing congestion and conflicts,” says a city report.

The city plans to introduce the new permits on Brentlawn Drive and Graveley Street just north of Brentwood Town Centre, which have “experienced persistent parking problems with all-day parking from commuters and employees of neighbouring businesses,” the report says.

More and more non-residents have been parking on those streets as construction has ramped up at the mall, city staff say. Residents have increasingly complained about people violating a three-hour daytime limit, but the complaints-based system is inefficient, according to the report.

So the city plans to instead issue $40 annual permits to residents upon request. It will then restrict some portion of both streets to “permit only” zones either at all times or during specific times of day.

City staff will also develop more detailed plans for how the new permit system may be used elsewhere in the city. The city report says the permit system will only be used where there is a “clearly identifiable parking problem” with residents who consent to the system.