Overhaul of Summer Car Parking Arrangements Proposed

Raising revenue while safeguarding spaces for North Norfolk people

14 January, 2005

North Norfolk District Council is to seek views on a possible new system for the District's car parks, which could see many of them reclassified as long-stay, short-stay or tourist car parks during the summer months.

The proposal, made by the Council's Car Parking Policy Panel, is aimed at relieving congestion problems during the tourist season, while ensuring that people using local shops and services can find places to park. The move would need the approval of NNDC's Cabinet and Full Council.

In its review of car parking arrangements in recent months, the policy panel has studied three years' worth of usage statistics for each of NNDC's car parks, looking at the volume of vehicles using them at different times of the year. It is recommending that many of them - those which take 66 per cent or more of their revenue in the summer - be designated long-stay 'tourist' car parks for the summer season, with an all-day ticket that is transferrable on the same day to NNDC's other tourist car parks.

The panel also recommends that the car parks that get most congested - those with an average occupancy per space of 50 per cent or more in the summer, mainly in town centres - become 'seasonal short-stay' car parks. These would have a limit of two hours per stay, with no return within two hours, to ensure they have a high turnaround of vehicles and are therefore available for shoppers or people who have business in the towns in question.

These changes would apply to 17 of the District's car parks, while 16 would be unaffected. The new designations would only apply in June, July, August and September. Outside these dates, the charges and regulations would revert to the current arrangements.

At a future meeting, the policy panel will go on to consider how these proposals will affect season-ticket holders.

The summer charges for the different kinds of car park have yet to be decided, and the Council will also be asked to consider what the standard, out-of-season charge should be for 2005/06.

The policy panel's proposals follow research last year, when council tax payers were asked in a survey (conducted by MORI) whether they would support or oppose a variety of ideas for raising Council income. The survey showed that 54 per cent of respondents would support an increase in car parking charges for visitors (as opposed to 28 per cent against, 11 per cent neither supporting nor opposing, and 7 per cent 'don't knows' or 'not stated'). So, while it is proposed that there would be a higher charge in tourist car parks during the summer, the measures are designed to give tourists value for money (and encourage them to stay in the District) by giving them a convenient all-day, transferrable ticket.

Also, the measures would bring NNDC into line with comparable authorities elsewhere in the country, where short-stay/long-stay designations are the norm, and seasonal charging variations and day tickets are commonplace.

Consultation with town and parish councils is under way. The policy panel will also consider, at its next meeting, what other consultation should be undertaken, for example with the local business community. The proposals will be debated by NNDC's Cabinet and a final decision will need to be made by the Full Council.

NOTES FOR EDITOR

All but one of NNDC's car parks are currently general purpose (the exception is at Albert Street, Holt, which is a two-hour short stay car park), and most have a flat rate of 60p per hour. There are six which are currently free. Under the policy panel's proposals, most of these free car parks could effectively become paid-for if, as is possible, they are turned over to season-ticket holders only (though one of them, at Polka Road in Wells, is due to be re-developed as an industrial unit).

The following table shows NNDC's car parks and how they would be affected, under the proposals:

Car park at:	Could be:
Cromer, Cadogan Road	Seasonal short-stay
Cromer, Meadow	Seasonal short-stay
Cromer, Runton Road	Long-stay tourist
East Runton	Long-stay tourist
Fakenham, Bridge Street	Unaffected
Fakenham, Highfields	Season-ticket holders only
Fakenham, Hall Staithe	Season-ticket holders only
Fakenham, The Limes	Unaffected
Fakenham, Queen's Road	Unaffected
Happisburgh, Beach Road	Unaffected
Happisburgh, Cart Gap	Long-stay tourist
Holt, Albert Street	Unaffected (already short-stay)
Holt, Station Yard	Unaffected
Lower Horning	Unaffected
Mundesley, Gold Road	Long-stay tourist
North Walsham, Bank Loke	Unaffected
North Walsham, Midland Road	Season-ticket holders only
North Walsham, Mundesley Road	Standard pay-and-display, year-round
North Walsham, New Road	Unaffected
North Walsham, Vicarage Road	Unaffected
Overstrand, Pauls Lane	Long-stay tourist
Sea Palling, Clink Road	Long-stay tourist
Sheringham, Cliff Road	Long-stay tourist
Sheringham, Station Yard	Unaffected
Sea Palling, Beach Road	Seasonal short-stay
Sheringham, Morris Street	Seasonal short-stay
Sheringham, Chequers	Seasonal short-stay
Stalham, High Street	Unaffected
Stalham, Lower Staithe Road	Season-ticket holders only
Walsingham	Unaffected
Wells, Polka Road	Redeveloped as industrial unit
Wells, Stearman's Yard	Unaffected
Weybourne, Beach Road	Unaffected
Wells, Staithe Street	Unaffected

ENDS