East Suffolk Council .. Parking Information for Larger Vehicles and Campervans

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scotjimland

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Larger vehicles and campervans​

Campervans and motorhomes (also referred to as motor caravans) that exceed 5.5m in length are permitted in only twelve East Suffolk managed car parks. However, these vehicles must not exceed 8m in length.
These car parks are:
  • The Grove, Felixstowe, IP11 9GA (in designated motor caravan bays)
  • Garrison Lane, Felixstowe, IP11 7SH (in designated coach bays).
  • Manor Terrace, Felixstowe, IP11 2EN (in designated motor caravan bays)
  • Clifflands, Felixstowe, IP11 9SJ (in designated motor caravan area)
  • Sutton Heath Picnic Area, Sutton Heath, IP12 3TG (in designated motor caravan area)
  • Upper Hollesley Common, Upper Hollesley Common, IP12 3HU (caution advised due to low tree canopy)
  • Slaughden, Aldeburgh, IP15 5DE
  • Thorpe Road, Aldeburgh, IP16 4NR (in southern half only, as signed)
  • Belvedere Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0PR (in designated coach bays)
  • Nicholas Everitt Park, Oulton Broad, NR33 9JT (in designated coach bays)
  • Harbour Quay East, Southwold, IP18 6TA (in designated motor caravan area)
  • Southwold Pier, Southwold, IP18 6BN (in designated motor caravan bays).
Please also be aware that while all suitable vehicles may park overnight, no camping or sleeping in vehicles is allowed. Websites such as The Suffolk Coast, Campsites.co.uk, Pitchup and others are available to help motor caravan users find legal and appropriate places to camp and sleep overnight.
In this section
 
So you can park overnight but not sleep there!

What a waste, why not allow sleeping and charge a fee?

Although there is a risk this could bring in some money to the local community......
 
Ooh.. That's going to draw in the tourists..

Not a faffing clue!

The Slaughden site has been used as an overnight stop for years.
 
To be fair I've stopped over on the motorhome spaces at Southwold Pier, drew the curtains, I mean Im sat in there doing no harm, spent a fortune on beer and food (the Mrs will never stop going on paying £18 for rissotto!) etc etc. Great spot, anyone knocks, don't answer. Simple.
 
rod_vw said:
another county to avoid!
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add Norfolk to your list... it has basically the same rules as Suffolk

Home | Motorhomes: camping and parking

www.north-norfolk.gov.uk www.north-norfolk.gov.uk

I've checked several and found none that allow overnight camping in their car parks..

to allow that they would have to comply with the Caravan Sites Control of Development Act 1960 and apply for a licence to operate a campsite .

out of interest , which councils do you know that allow it ?
 
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for those asking about camping in council car parks and why its generally not allowed.. rather than repeating.. this thread has the answer

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Is it OK to park overnight in car parks?

Hi folks, I appreciate that this might be a bit of a touchy subject... but please bare with me as I am new to both the forum, and to motorhomes. In fact I haven't even bought one just yet. I am thinking about living in a motorhome to save money for a year or two. --> Is it OK to park in...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk
 
LesW said:
I believe the Ram Meadow carpark in Bury St Edmunds allows overnight stops.
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yes there are 5 places for motorhomes ovenight parking .. .. and Canterbury P&R is another..

but in generally, councils that have motorhome 24hr parking dont allow sleeping overnight ,..

my point was it's not just Suffolk and Norfolk that don't allow, it's the norm, rather than the exception ..
 
scotjimland said:
add Norfolk to your list... it has basically the same rules as Suffolk

Home | Motorhomes: camping and parking

www.north-norfolk.gov.uk www.north-norfolk.gov.uk

I've checked several and found none that allow overnight camping in their car parks..

to allow that they would have to comply with the Caravan Sites Control of Development Act 1960 and apply for a licence to operate a campsite .

out of interest , which councils do you know that allow it ?
Click to expand...

Powys and Hereford at least.
 
IMO many of these councils don't want to outwardly permit overnight sleeping but are unlikely to enforce it, so if anything untoward happens they can't be held liable.
 
What a difference to Spain. .. they sent a written directive from their head poncho, saying overnight sleeping was allowed as long as the vehicle was legally parked and no furniture, level ramps etc around the van.

Still some police were unaware of the new directive, however somewhere on here they made available a printable copy in english and spanish to show the offended police officer.

Probably in Spain they don't have the council bylaw (to allow that they would have to comply with the Caravan Sites Control of Development Act 1960 and apply for a licence to operate a campsite .)
..but is a council parking space really classed as a caravan site !?

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Personally we have never wanted to sleep overnight in a council car park.. it holds no attraction..

They are certainly useful for day visits, sight seeing and shopping... hence posting information.. but overnight ? .. No thanks , there are still plenty of reasonable priced CL and CS sites..and many that do not have EHU so charges can be cheaper.. (see map link)

nicholsong said:
I have suddenly lost any interest in Suffolk.
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nicholsong

You won't enjoy the lovely county of Suffolk using council car parks in town centres.. .. or indeed any part of the UK..

Waking up to peace and quiet with a sunrise over the North Sea with a beautiful view, then a cooked breakfast sitting outside listening to the wild life.. or a car park in a town centre ?

I know what I prefer..

This is a map of Off Grid CL sites .. and a data base.. notice there are quite a number in Suffolk .. and plenty elsewhere ..

Off Grid (no EHU) CLs

Off Grid CLs Data Base
 
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scotjimland said:
I've checked several and found none that allow overnight camping in their car parks..

to allow that they would have to comply with the Caravan Sites Control of Development Act 1960 and apply for a licence to operate a campsite .

out of interest , which councils do you know that allow it ?
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Powys Council allow overnighting in most of their carparks, so does Torridge District Council to name but two.
 
rod_vw said:
Powys Council allow overnighting in most of their carparks, so does Torridge District Council to name but two.
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I only looked at a few in England.. none in Wales, and perhaps these councils interpret the 1960 Caravan Act differently or have issued an exemption to themselves, I don't know,

but there are 317 councils in England, 22 in Wales , and 32 in Scotland if you want to check them all

and in post #11 I said "in general" not all .
 
Does the 1960 Caravan Act apply to overnight parking (no facilities)? If so do you actually believe that every HGV parking area where the drivers sleep in their cabs either day time or nigh time when complying with their drivers hours rules have areas registered within the 1960 Caravan Act?
I'm thinking of Motorway services, transport Cafés and even large laybys, many of the former two charge for the service.
 
At last, a benefit from the (quite random) decision of the DVLA to decline classifying my converted van to Motor Caravan. Instead it’s a van with windows.


IMG_2521.jpeg

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I don't believe the caravan act has anything to do with overnighting in council car parks, it's the councils land, they can have a bylaw that allows it or not, simple.

I can see that for some sleeping in a council car park in a town centre holds little appeal but there are several I've used that are fantastic, my favourite being the one in Glasgow which I've mentioned before, its this one https://www.searchforsites.co.uk/marker.php?id=28311 and is literally 3 minutes walk from the first main road, a fantastic convenient spot, especially for the wife due to mobility problems.

Don't knock council car parks or the people that use them, they bring money to the local economy, I spent over a grand on one of my nights in Glasgow!
 
Old thread I know and in my research found it, I've a week off from Monday and going solo, cannot wait to get away just me and the camera. Not decided yet whether Im heading for West Scotland for landscape, Wales for abandoned slate quarries and coastal, or east anglia (including felixstowe for Cubbolds point) May well park up on Undercliff road, no restriction and don't need to pay :)
 
scotjimland said:

Larger vehicles and campervans​

Campervans and motorhomes (also referred to as motor caravans) that exceed 5.5m in length are permitted in only twelve East Suffolk managed car parks. However, these vehicles must not exceed 8m in length.
These car parks are:
  • The Grove, Felixstowe, IP11 9GA (in designated motor caravan bays)
  • Garrison Lane, Felixstowe, IP11 7SH (in designated coach bays).
  • Manor Terrace, Felixstowe, IP11 2EN (in designated motor caravan bays)
  • Clifflands, Felixstowe, IP11 9SJ (in designated motor caravan area)
  • Sutton Heath Picnic Area, Sutton Heath, IP12 3TG (in designated motor caravan area)
  • Upper Hollesley Common, Upper Hollesley Common, IP12 3HU (caution advised due to low tree canopy)
  • Slaughden, Aldeburgh, IP15 5DE
  • Thorpe Road, Aldeburgh, IP16 4NR (in southern half only, as signed)
  • Belvedere Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0PR (in designated coach bays)
  • Nicholas Everitt Park, Oulton Broad, NR33 9JT (in designated coach bays)
  • Harbour Quay East, Southwold, IP18 6TA (in designated motor caravan area)
  • Southwold Pier, Southwold, IP18 6BN (in designated motor caravan bays).
Please also be aware that while all suitable vehicles may park overnight, no camping or sleeping in vehicles is allowed. Websites such as The Suffolk Coast, Campsites.co.uk, Pitchup and others are available to help motor caravan users find legal and appropriate places to camp and sleep overnight.
In this section
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I keep reading about reasons why people do not want to visit certain counties, WHY!

What this obsession about getting upset and only wanting to sleep next to the sea?

There are hundreds of laybys on hundreds of quiet roads where one can stop & sleep.

Is it just an excuse to have a whinge? 🤔

Sorry scotjimland I'm not having a go at you but to all those that want to park where there not supposed to and then wonder why the Councils put up restriction notices to appease the local voters that live there permanently! 🙂
 
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PaulC70 said:
Old thread I know and in my research found it, I've a week off from Monday and going solo, cannot wait to get away just me and the camera. Not decided yet whether Im heading for West Scotland for landscape, Wales for abandoned slate quarries and coastal, or east anglia (including felixstowe for Cubbolds point) May well park up on Undercliff road, no restriction and don't need to pay :)
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TBH we usually use the carpark at top of cliffs, then move to Undercliff road in the evening before the knock. (They do police the cliffside carpark a lot in Felixstowe and check you are leaving at 4:30 ish).

Thing is this time of year there is ZERO issues on Undercliff road in evening, last time we went in late Dec/Jan we were one of 3 vans.

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