Richmond residents are to pay different amounts to park their cars dependent on carbon emissions after the proposal was rubber-stamped this afternoon.

The council's cabinet gave the go-ahead in January to proposals to charge people more to park in controlled parking zones (CPZs) if their cars produce high CO2 emissions, and less if they emit less.

At a meeting of Richmond upon Thames Council's transport consultative group last night the borough's parking chief said he wanted to fully consider residents' representations before making the final call.

But this afternoon Coun David Trigg, Richmond council cabinet member for traffic, transport and parking, told the Richmond and Twickenham Times he had decided to give the plans his formal approval.

A statutory three-week consultation finished last Friday, March 16, and Melvyn Bartlett, head of the council's transport planning service, said there had been 239 responses.

He said one response was neutral, two were reserved, eight were in support and 228 were opposed to the scheme, but he added 51 objections were stock letters available to download from a website opposing the plans.

The meeting heard from ten residents and councillors, most of whom raised objections to the plans.

Questions were raised about the legality of the scheme and many residents described it as unfair.

Coun Trigg said: "We are to go ahead with the plans but the decision can be called in by overview and scrutiny and it could be subject to a judicial review so it is not absolutely final.

"We believe this is right for the borough and other boroughs think it is right as they are following our example.

"It needed one council to be brave and blaze the trail for these plans and Richmond has done it."

Coun Trigg said from April 2 the new permits would come into force, although permits bought before will be accepted for as long as they are valid, and there would be a quarterly review of the scheme.

"We will not be scared to change the scheme," he added. "If we need to make changes we will adapt it."