PEOPLE power has forced Swindon Council to back-flip on its new one-house, one-parking permit rules in the town centre.

A special meeting of the council decided yesterday to allow all homes in Old Town and the town centre two parking passes per household.

The decision follows a barrage of complaints from homeowners who said they were struggling to sell their houses in the wake of the council's one-house, one-parking permit scheme that came in to effect on April 3.

The council also received complaints from landlords saying they were struggling to rent their houses because of permit restrictions for newcomers and also from existing residents who had recently bought second cars.

The council will launch a 28-day public consultation on the proposed rule changes.

The phase-out of second car permits for existing residents by 2009 will also be up for change.

Old Town and Lawn councillor Fionuala Foley (Con) said the council wanted the rules changed as quickly as possible to end parking uncertainty for residents.

She said after the decision on the rule change, the council would doorknock affected areas to get a more accurate view of what residents wanted.

"We would like people to write in with their views," Coun Foley said. "It's our intention to clear it up very quickly."

The council's director of transport, Rod Anderson, said there are currently more parking permits issued than parking spaces.

"The order was made to reduce the number of permits people were allowed," he said.

"We are going to unrestrict those areas. That is to relieve the pressure on people while we look at the long-term effects of the issue."

Prospect Hill resident Toby Robson, pictured, praised the council for listening to public concerns.

Mr Robson, 35, said he faced moving out of Old Town because his girlfriend could not move in without her car.

"That's common sense," press officer Mr Robson said.

"The solution they imposed caused bigger problems than it solved. Hats off to the council for listening."

Mr Robson said residents wanted the parking problem fixed.

"We have to make sure it's not a sledgehammer to crack a nut," Mr Robson said. "It was very unfair to a lot of people."

Atwell Martin chartered surveyors manager Chris Atwell said the one-house, one-permit rule was making it hard to sell houses in Old Town streets.

"People have been put off by it," he said.

"It's one of the first questions people are asking does it have off-street parking? If it didn't, they weren't interested."

Mr Atwell said a large number of homeowners had contacted the agency hoping to sell out of the area before the parking permit issue began to bite even deeper.

Under the changes introduced last month, existing permit holders in zones A, D, E, F and G were to have their second permit phased out over three years.

Over that period, they would also pay an increasing permit price £50 this year for their second vehicle rising to £100 in 2007, £150 in 2008 before they were phased out completely in 2009.

New residents, and existing residents whose permits had lapsed would be denied permits for their second vehicles. Permits for residents' first vehicles were to remain at £25 for each year.