Neighbours are enraged by a “nonsense” parking scheme that means they could pay for a permit but not be guaranteed a space.

People living in Rockford House, off Victoria Road, Hendon, have been told 20 of the 40 spaces outside their flats are being turned into ‘resident permit holders only’ parking.

There are 40 flats in the block, and the householders say the £25 a year charge for a permit could be a waste of money, since some may end up having to park in the free spaces anyway.

Thomas Hennessey, who has owned his home since 1998, is spearheading a petition which has the support of all of his neighbours.

The 48-year-old said: “It’s ridiculous, it’s a complete joke. How can we justify spending all that money on a permit if we may not even be able to reap the benefits?

“It can be difficult to find parking at the best of times so if all the residents' spots are taken, we’ll have no choice but to park in the non-paying spaces. That seems very inconsistent.

“It’s a very unfair parking scheme and I hope they reconsider it.

“I am pleased with the amount of people who have signed my petition, it just goes to show how strongly we all feel about this.”

The neighbours say they often have problems with people in nearby offices using their spaces and would prefer it if all 40 spaces were for residents only.

Hansa Wadia, 61, a chemist, said: “This stupid rule isn’t going to benefit anyone. I am angry and I think it is a lot of nonsense.

"We are actually willing to pay for permits, that's not the issue. We support the idea of resident permit holders parking because we can't always find a spot and that can be a nightmare.

"We just don't get how this particular rule is supposed to help matters. It is only going to make things worse for us."

The first permit will cost £25, while a household can claim a second permit for £20 and a book of ten visitors' permits for £25.

The car park will be managed by firm Winglove and the new rules will come into effect next month.

Voon-Peng Yong, a mother, said: “I just don’t understand the logic behind these rules, it doesn’t make any sense to me. It is just very silly and I don’t think they’ve thought it through.”

A Barnet Homes spokesman said: "Barnet Homes is introducing resident parking on the estate following feedback from residents that parking is difficult because local business owners and their customers and visitors to the university often park on the estate, leaving insufficient spaces for residents and their visitors.

"However, we are only able to introduce this on housing land. Some of the land on the estate is managed by the London Borough of Barnet as highways land.

"We have been in communication with one resident who claims Stratford Road is not highways land and our records are incorrect.

"This has been checked and we can now confirm that the schedule of adopted highways shows that it is.  We have agreed to liaise with the council in order to see whether the council-run controlled parking zone can be extended to include this road and we are waiting for its response.

"Unfortunately we are unable to include it in the Barnet Homes’ resident parking scheme because this road is not on housing land."