We are unwelcome in Woodbridge!!

FYI I have written an FOI to all UK Councils (had 100 responses so far) on this very subject and will post summary on the results. The questions are:

  1. Is your Council responsible for setting the policy for parking of vehicles as a whole?
  2. How many vehicle parking sites in total do you manage?
  3. How many spaces in these sites (cars, vans, coaches etc) do you manage in total?
  4. What is the average space size (width / length) and any possible height restrictions?
  5. Of these (Q3) how many are dedicated to Campervans / Motorhomes / Vans?
  6. Of these (Q5) how many can be used to park overnight or are there bans in place?
  7. What is the Councils policy about parking Campervans / Motorhomes / SUV’s / Vans in standard bays (e.g. the wheels must be in bay, the whole vehicle must be in a bay, vehicles must be parked in reverse position, overhang at back / front is allowed etc)?
  8. Dependent on answer (Q7), can a vehicle owner purchase two tickets to cover potential overhang
  9. What is the fine amount for infringement of (Q7/8/10)?
  10. Can Campervans / Motorhomes Park in coach parking spaces?
  11. Is there any adjustment in charges based on weight or vehicle emissions?
  12. Does your Council have a written policy
watch this space

boomel
 
BooBooKing said:
yes but that means must be under 5.5metres, as NO overhang allowed at back. ie small vans, not most motorhomes.
Click to expand...
Is it most motorhomes? I haven't checked in any way but, as memtioned at post #9, our first van would have fitted.
If you revisit post #18 you will see there are good reasons behind the policy.
 
BOOMEL said:
FYI I have written an FOI to all UK Councils (had 100 responses so far) on this very subject and will post summary on the results. The questions are:

  1. Is your Council responsible for setting the policy for parking of vehicles as a whole?
  2. How many vehicle parking sites in total do you manage?
  3. How many spaces in these sites (cars, vans, coaches etc) do you manage in total?
  4. What is the average space size (width / length) and any possible height restrictions?
  5. Of these (Q3) how many are dedicated to Campervans / Motorhomes / Vans?
  6. Of these (Q5) how many can be used to park overnight or are there bans in place?
  7. What is the Councils policy about parking Campervans / Motorhomes / SUV’s / Vans in standard bays (e.g. the wheels must be in bay, the whole vehicle must be in a bay, vehicles must be parked in reverse position, overhang at back / front is allowed etc)?
  8. Dependent on answer (Q7), can a vehicle owner purchase two tickets to cover potential overhang
  9. What is the fine amount for infringement of (Q7/8/10)?
  10. Can Campervans / Motorhomes Park in coach parking spaces?
  11. Is there any adjustment in charges based on weight or vehicle emissions?
  12. Does your Council have a written policy
watch this space

boomel
Click to expand...
That's pretty similar to the sorts of questions I was asking when I ran my web site.
I'm pleased to see that somebody else is willing to put the work in and wish you luck.

Don't take any back chat from any councils which ignore your request or send responses that don't comply with FoI requirements. Most know their duties but there are a minority of officers in a minority of councils who think the law doesn't apply to them.
Also, try not to take any notice of the minority of motorhomers who think they have a right to park (and camp) where they like when they like :)
 
GJH said:
That's pretty similar to the sorts of questions I was asking when I ran my web site.
I'm pleased to see that somebody else is willing to put the work in and wish you luck.

Don't take any back chat from any councils which ignore your request or send responses that don't comply with FoI requirements. Most know their duties but there are a minority of officers in a minority of councils who think the law doesn't apply to them.
Also, try not to take any notice of the minority of motorhomers who think they have a right to park (and camp) where they like when they like :)
Click to expand...
Judging by the responses so far

2.4 x 4.8 seems to be norm, Most say must be fully parked in bay but don’t define what this is. No Motorhome specific spaces. 50/50 whether they allow you to buy two tickets. On the whole not encouraging
 
BOOMEL said:
Judging by the responses so far

2.4 x 4.8 seems to be norm, Most say must be fully parked in bay but don’t define what this is. No Motorhome specific spaces. 50/50 whether they allow you to buy two tickets. On the whole not encouraging
Click to expand...
About 2.4m x 4.8m is the industry standard for parking spaces and is based on the fact that the vast majority of vehicles using car parks, at the time it was set, would fit within the bay (still valid today though the increase in vehicle sizes to fit fashion as well as safety aspects is sometimes a bit of a challenge).
I found that fully in a bay generally meant no overhang at all. A few allow just all wheels within the bay.
Motorhome specific spaces depends very much on demand, and that is often dictated by location. Many councils cover large geographic areas, some parts of which are more attractive to motorhomers than others (as we found with the short lived Guisborough "aire"). Multi-storey car parks, in general, are simply not usable by motorhomes because of physical height restrictions.
We have to bear in mind that car parks have to cater for the main demands of the areas where they are located and that often means restrictions to prevent over use by commercial vehicles as much as anything else.
In many cases similar restrictions also apply to car parks owned by organisations other than councils.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
I think all of this highlights that a PVC of around 5.4 M is ideal for parking in towns supermarket car parks etc. the majority of the general population use cars and SUV’s and bay’s are built to suit.

This has been the norm for generations and whilst we have a growth in MoHo’s it’s not the fault of councils who provide for the masses. It may be inconvenient for the minority but ‘should’ the councils provide parking bays for Caravan owners not just MoHo owners. Locals may just get a bit hacked off to find a reduction in parking places reserved for the odd MoHo/ caravan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GJH
We used to park our 6m Hymer at Sizewell Beach where there is lots of space even on bank holiday weekends.

As above East Suffolk Council stopped it although you wouldn’t know from their useless signs which don’t specify what is and isn’t allowed. No thoughts for overseas visitors or anyone without internet access and a degree in council speak.

I have contacted ESC numerous times without much joy.

Places like Halesworth can take some mohos in main parking areas but NO!

It’s a poor policy.
 
BooBooKing said:
We recently had a few days on the lovely East Suffolk coast in our Vantage Sol. We stayed at Run Cottage which is 15 minutes outside Woodbridge. I'd heard it was a lovely town so googled "motorhome parking in Woodbridge" only to find that the Council has banned all motorhomes over 5.5 metres (ie most of us!) from using any council run carpark. A quick search showed that several motorhomes had been fined for doing so, even if they fit in between the painted lines, as we would, because no overhang onto grass is allowed. I made a complaint to the Council and pointed out that the town is losing income from visitors, but they basically replied with a cut and paste of the car parking rules. We visited Aldeburgh and Southwold instead, and spent money on lunch, dinner and shopping for gifts. I'd still like to see Woodbridge but I reckon they just don't deserve any motorhome's cash!
Click to expand...
Could you not stay on site and get a bus or taxi in if it’s 15 mins from site?
 
BooBooKing said:
We recently had a few days on the lovely East Suffolk coast in our Vantage Sol. We stayed at Run Cottage which is 15 minutes outside Woodbridge. I'd heard it was a lovely town so googled "motorhome parking in Woodbridge" only to find that the Council has banned all motorhomes over 5.5 metres (ie most of us!) from using any council run carpark. A quick search showed that several motorhomes had been fined for doing so, even if they fit in between the painted lines, as we would, because no overhang onto grass is allowed. I made a complaint to the Council and pointed out that the town is losing income from visitors, but they basically replied with a cut and paste of the car parking rules. We visited Aldeburgh and Southwold instead, and spent money on lunch, dinner and shopping for gifts. I'd still like to see Woodbridge but I reckon they just don't deserve any motorhome's cash!
Click to expand...
Thhe residents and businesses are obviously to rich! They don't need our money!
 
BOOMEL said:
2.4 x 4.8 seems to be norm,
Click to expand...
which was the original size when vehicles were tiny.
One question worth asking is "do you have a maximum unladen weight policy" as many councils do & in the case of Chelmsford council,it rules out parking of any type of mpv , 4x4 or crossover vehicles as it is 1500kgs. Unfortunately the council attendants don't appear to understand there own rules & allow them all to park whilst restricting MH's
 
I wanted to go to Woodbridge as I have an elderly cousin living there so thanks for the heads up.

Might have to investigate trains / buses / taxis.
 
prenteye said:
We used to park our 6m Hymer at Sizewell Beach where there is lots of space even on bank holiday weekends.

As above East Suffolk Council stopped it although you wouldn’t know from their useless signs which don’t specify what is and isn’t allowed. No thoughts for overseas visitors or anyone without internet access and a degree in council speak.

I have contacted ESC numerous times without much joy.

Places like Halesworth can take some mohos in main parking areas but NO!

It’s a poor policy.
Click to expand...

We visited Aldeburgh a couple of weeks ago and was really peed off by their ridiculous parking signs which do not state whether motorhomes or not are allowed to park, they just state "heav motorcars as defined in road traffic act" blah blah, I didn't happen to have a copy of said traffic act with me so had to resort to trying to find out by a search on the 'phone (phone number not answered) in the end spoke to a council lorry driver in the car park having a break and he did not know but pointed out that the sign at the end of the car park stated "no motorhomes beyond this point" which I took to mean it was ok before the sign.

As to going to France, some of us have to be content with a day or 2-3 so are not forking out to go out of the UK.
 
This might be useful:

Larger vehicles and campervans » East Suffolk Council

East Suffolk
www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk

I am about to ask them about Blue Badge parking and if the "no motorhomes" applies to Blue Badge holders whose vehicle is a motorhome.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Puddleduck said:
This might be useful:

Larger vehicles and campervans » East Suffolk Council

East Suffolk
www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk

I am about to ask them about Blue Badge parking and if the "no motorhomes" applies to Blue Badge holders whose vehicle is a motorhome.
Click to expand...
I’m of the school to ask for forgiveness rather than asking for permission. It seems if you have a disabled badge it’s would be more than reasonable to park in an appropriate bay as that is the vehicle your traveling in.
 
GJH said:
That, if I may say so, is utter round objects.

Long standing members may remember that East Suffolk Council had problems several years ago with some motorhomers camping overnight where they shouldn't and damage occuring as a result. Instead of introducing a blanket ban they put a fair amount of work into trying to accommodate as many as they could in daytime car parks.

As an example, this is an extract from a message I received on 27 April 2009:
I hope you do not mind me approaching you on this subject following our previous correspondence as I am hoping you may be able to help?
As you’re aware Motorised Caravans are not permitted in many of Suffolk Coastal's car parks because the size and lack of manoeuvrability of the large ones means they can create a hazard for themselves and other car park users by restricting running lanes etc. We believe it is right that the larger one should be prevented from using many of our car parks, but we could do better for the users of smaller motorised caravans that don’t in reality create any more of a hazard than some vehicles that we do permit.
The current Order doesn’t discriminate between different types or sizes of motorised caravans and although 'the Order' definition is the one that matters legally, it would appear that there are numerous types/sizes of vehicles that fit into the ‘motorised caravan’ class. The current car park signs do clearly state if motorised caravans are or are not allowed, however, with regard to providing a good service, smaller motorised caravans being issued with ECN’s (that are often smaller than large 4X4’s or Vans that are permitted) can seem unfair and unreasonable.
We appreciate that Motorised Caravans are becoming more popular and it would appear that not infrequently the smaller Caravenette/Camper type is the only household vehicle, especially for disabled people who benefit from the additional space/accommodation that’s offered, therefore occasions when ECN's are issued is likely to increase unless we come up with a solution.
It is not really practical to expect the Inspectors to measure vehicles but really we would want to achieve a situation where they are allowed if they fit in a bay and are safe to manoeuvre but how can this be determined without entering the car park to find out? Do you have any ideas or maybe even know how other places handle this issue?

It was as a result of subsequent discussions (which also involved some other members of Fun) that the accommodation now available was made possible by pro-active work by council officers.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that. A very informative communication. This is the sort of thing you would expect councils to aspire to. Working for the common good.
 
Coolcats said:
I’m of the school to ask for forgiveness rather than asking for permission. It seems if you have a disabled badge it’s would be more than reasonable to park in an appropriate bay as that is the vehicle your traveling in.
Click to expand...

I've had an automatic reply pointing me to the webpage I quoted to them. There is NOTHING about Blue Badge holders who need larger vehicles on those pages, so I have answered the auto-email asking again about Blue Badge holders, larger vehicles and the DDA.

I will see what they come back with, if anything.
 
Puddleduck said:
This might be useful:

Larger vehicles and campervans » East Suffolk Council

East Suffolk
www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk

I am about to ask them about Blue Badge parking and if the "no motorhomes" applies to Blue Badge holders whose vehicle is a motorhome.
Click to expand...
they appear to have a problem with the wording as the tro states that " motor caravan" is a vehicle "not exceeding 5,5m in length" = so I assume over that length is ok?
 
Puddleduck said:
I've had an automatic reply pointing me to the webpage I quoted to them.
Click to expand...
some years ago i made an enquiry & got the same as you.I made another receiving an acknowledgement number. still nothing I then made a complaint receiving a complaint number. still nothing .
I then made a complaint about the complaint receiving yet another number. On my return to spain some weeks later i followed this all up with a vitriolic succession of emails & finally received a response.
Basically they informed me that staff had been told to ignore anyone asking about motorhome parking as "We assumed from previous problems that anyone asking is doing so on behalf of travellers & in an illicit manner."
No apology ,nothing.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Gromett said:
Thanks for that. A very informative communication. This is the sort of thing you would expect councils to aspire to. Working for the common good.
Click to expand...
Typical of the majority. This is just an example I remembered because of fairly extensive commuication with the officer concerned.
 
gus-lopez said:
they appear to have a problem with the wording as the tro states that " motor caravan" is a vehicle "not exceeding 5,5m in length" = so I assume over that length is ok?
Click to expand...
They have no problem. I refer again to post #18, which explains what the council was trying to do to serve as many as possible.
 
prenteye said:
We used to park our 6m Hymer at Sizewell Beach where there is lots of space even on bank holiday weekends.

As above East Suffolk Council stopped it although you wouldn’t know from their useless signs which don’t specify what is and isn’t allowed. No thoughts for overseas visitors or anyone without internet access and a degree in council speak.

I have contacted ESC numerous times without much joy.

Places like Halesworth can take some mohos in main parking areas but NO!

It’s a poor policy.
Click to expand...
Again, please refer to post #18. The policy was properly thought out.

No council in the land uses signs which include the whole of what is in the parking order because they would be far too large and a waste of money. It should not be beyond the wit of anyone to contact councils if they are not sure of the rules.
 
Many will not agree but our Moho is 7.3m and wife has a disabled which is exactly why we have a toad, VW Polo on A frame, + trailer for foreign parts, absolutely no problems parking anywhere with this combination, cheaper fuel costs when exploring area visited and often cheaper or free parking in smaller runabout

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
GJH said:
It should not be beyond the wit of anyone to contact councils if they are not sure of the rules.
Click to expand...
& I have been told to do this whilst actually in a car park :how do you do that on a weekend? I'm not making excuses just stating the obvious+ the fact that you are now in the car park' illegally' you are being told by the attendant . Who i struggle to believe as he isn'r ticketing everything that doesn't comply ,only Mh's?
 
gus-lopez said:
& I have been told to do this whilst actually in a car park :how do you do that on a weekend? I'm not making excuses just stating the obvious+ the fact that you are now in the car park' illegally' you are being told by the attendant . Who i struggle to believe as he isn'r ticketing everything that doesn't comply ,only Mh's?
Click to expand...
You plan ahead if you don't know parking rules where you are going on a weekend.
It is not always possible for parking staff to work out the weight of a car but motorhomes and vans are pretty obvious.
 
Thank you for a great variety of answers and comments to my post. We could of course get a taxi or bus in to a nearby town, but it just seems daft when our PVC is only 4 cm above the allowed length, and it really doesn't bother anybody if we had a few centimetres overhanging the grass at the back. I doubt we will ever run out of places to visit in our van, so we will just go somewhere else. Bury St Edmunds? why not, I'll put that on our next list, thanks.
 
GJH said:
You plan ahead if you don't know parking rules where you are going on a weekend.
Click to expand...
No ,sorry .It is a car park . nothing else. I'm not scouring town hall websites in advance to find somewhere to park. On the occasion i sought advice from the council re; parking they basically stated they considered by asking , that I was a Pie key.
i am a driver .I expect to park outside where I wish to be.
 
gus-lopez said:
No ,sorry .It is a car park . nothing else. I'm not scouring town hall websites in advance to find somewhere to park. On the occasion i sought advice from the council re; parking they basically stated they considered by asking , that I was a Pie key.
i am a driver .I expect to park outside where I wish to be.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's a car park - designed for cars not for vehicles which are basically large vans.

We have no rights, as drivers, to park where we wish to be. That is especially the case in off road car parks, which are provided for use on the terms decided by their owners (be they individual, companies or public bodies).
As with any contract, when we enter into it then it is up to us to decide that we understand the terms. Nobody forces anyone to use their car parks.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top