Lake District National Park Partnership
21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Page 1
CAR PARKING STRATEGY
1
SUMMARY
1.1
This paper presents a Car Parking Strategy for consideration by the Partnership.
Recommendation that a
the Partnership:
Approves the Car Parking Strategy set out in Annex 1
2
BACKGROUND
2.1
For some years the key car park operators in the National Park have been working
together to provide greater consistency in the delivery of car park facilities across the
National Park. Cumbria Tourism have co-ordinated this work with some success. This
paper sets out a strategic framework for further developing that work, aiming to
improve the quality and consistency of car park provision across the National Park.
2.2
The Car Parking Strategy has been developed by Cumbria Tourism in consultation
with the key car park providers in the National Park. These are:
 South Lakeland District Council
 Allerdale Borough Council
 Lake District National Park
 Cumbria County Council
 National Trust
 Forestry Commission
2.3
The Car Parking Strategy in Annex 1 has the support of the key providers as a
framework for delivering a more structured approach to service improvements and in
moving towards harmonisation. As such this represents a significant step forward. We
recognise, however, that due to the different legislative, corporate and political
environments under which each partner operates, total harmonisation is unlikely to be
possible in the life of the Partnership Plan.
2.4
The overarching goal from the Strategy recognises the importance of car parks to the
quality of the visitor experience, the sustainable transport agenda, the local economy
and the needs of the operators and aims to strike a fair balance between these aims.
The overarching goal is:
To deliver high quality and co-ordinated parking services in the Lake District which
provide a world class visitor experience, supporting sustainable travel and which strike
a fair balance between supporting a healthy local economy, meeting the needs of
operators and helping to look after the National Park.
2.5
The strategy then seeks to achieve greater cohesion across the Park in the areas of
information and signage, facilities on car parks, pricing and payment methods and
enforcement and quality standards, and sets out strategic actions to bring about
greater harmonisation.
3
PARTNERSHIP PLAN CONTEXT
3.1
The paper completes action 24 in the 2014/15 Partnership Plan to agree a Strategy to
co-ordinate car parking across the Lake District. The draft strategy paper has been to
the Business Task Force for consideration and has their support as a significant and
positive step forward on the road to improving the visitor experience from car parks.
Lake District National Park Partnership
21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Page 2
4
PROPOSALS
4.1
The Partnership is asked to approve the Car Parking Strategy in Annex 1.
4.2
The Strategy has been written by Cumbria Tourism, working in partnership with the
key car park providers in para 2.2. The car park providers have met on several
occasions to progress the strategy and support it - subject to recognition of the
genuine constraints around total harmonisation.
5
NEXT STEPS
5.1
The next steps for the delivery of the Car Park Strategy are for the key providers to
put in place a more detailed programme of work to support its implementation.
Partners are meeting in October to develop this and will meet regularly (2 to 3 times a
year) to report progress and discuss next steps. The work will continue to be overseen
by Cumbria Tourism, who will chair the Car Park Strategy Group as an independent
broker and advocate for services that improve the visitor experience. They will be
supported in an administrative capacity by the Lake District National Park Authority.
5.2
We propose to report progress annually to the Partnership, if that is desirable, and
have agreed to provide informal updates on progress to the Business Task Force as
required.
6
FINANCE CONSIDERATIONS
6.1
Each of the partners will deliver their aspects of the Strategy within the constraints of
their operational budgets. No further resources have been requested, or significant
resource concerns flagged. Should additional external resources become available to
support car park improvements across the National Park, the partners would look at the
most effective way of drawing these down and using them to support speedier or more
effective delivery of the Strategy.
Background Papers
Author/Post
Date Written
Kerry Powell, Director of Communications and Resources,
LDNPA
14 September 2015
Lake District National Park Partnership
21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Annex 1 Page 1
ANNEX 1: CAR PARKING STRATEGY FOR THE LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK
Introduction:
The Lake District National Park Partnership Plan 2010-15 sets out the vision for the Lake
District as “a place where a prosperous economy, world class visitor experiences and
vibrant communities all come together to sustain the spectacular landscape, its wildlife and
cultural heritage”. Each year the Partnership reviews its plan and identifies specific priorities
and actions which will move the Park closer to the vision. One of these priorities is
‘To develop an integrated and sustainable transport network across the National
Park’ and as part of a package of transport measures ‘to agree a strategy to co-ordinate
car parking across the Lake District ‘.
A co-ordinated car parking strategy for The Lake District is important for many reasons- not
least the fact that some 15.5 million visitors travel to the National Park each year (STEAM
2013) and 86% will travel by car, van or motorhome. A further 4% will arrive by private
coach (Cumbria Visitor Survey 2012). The visitor economy of the Lake District is worth
some £1.05 billion per annum and sustains over 15,400 (FTE) jobs. For many visitors the
availability, convenience, cost and quality of car parking facilities is therefore crucial to their
experience and will influence their willingness to return. It can have an impact on revenue
for businesses, including retailers, hoteliers and the car parking operators themselves. The
quality of parking provision can also create a lasting impression of a visitor destination; for
most visitors the car park is their first physical arrival point and it needs to set the scene as
part of a ‘world class visitor experience’. It is crucial therefore that car parking facilities
provide a real sense of arrival, to provide all motorists with high quality facilities which are
comparable with the best which they will have experienced elsewhere in the UK and
overseas.
At the same time car parking can provide an important component of a broader sustainable
transport strategy for the Lake District. Its location, pricing, promotion and integration with
other forms of transport can have an important influence on the way both locals and visitors
move around the area. The challenge for the parking strategy is to identify changes to the
car park infrastructure, management and information network which incentivises visitors to
park for longer periods, explore the area by changing to more sustainable modes of cycling,
walking, bus and lake transport and crucially, to drive less. This would bring environmental
benefits and reduce carbon emissions.
The current car parking offer in the Lake District National Park is complex. There are six
principal operators with off street car parks, notably Allerdale Borough Council, South
Lakeland District Council, the Lake District National Park, National Trust, Forestry
Commission and United Utilities together with a number of private land owners who
between them manage in excess of 7,000 public parking spaces. In addition there are many
more private car parks run in conjunction with visitor attractions and shops (Booths and
Lakeland in Windermere for example). Cumbria County Council was planning to introduce
charges for some areas of on-street parking in several Lake District towns and villages but
faced with strong opposition from local communities has abandoned the proposal for the
time being. The availability of on-street spaces, whether charged or not, needs to be
factored into any car parking strategy for the Lake District National Park.
Each of the principal operators in the Lake District manages its car parks and on-street
spaces independently with a range of different opening and closing times, regulations,
enforcement practices and charging regimes. This can prove to be challenging for visitors,
particularly those from overseas, who are faced with lots of separate transactions and
limited compatibility between the car parks. Various attempts to rationalise or merge the
management of car parks operations and introduce a transferrable permit across the
Lake District National Park Partnership
21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Annex 1 Page 2
National Park have failed - largely because of the legislative differences under which each
of the providers operates, but also because of political and strategic differences. At present
the four District Councils and Cumbria County Council are prevented from using Automatic
Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to enforce against infringements and non- payment of
car parking fees, whereas the National Park and private operators can utilise this more
cost-effective approach to managing car parks. At the same time the income generated
from public car parks across the National Park (estimated at some £8 million per annum)
contributes significantly to the essential operational budgets of each organisation; as a
result it will be difficult for them to relinquish control of their operations.
In these circumstances any attempts to agree a common strategy for car parking in the
Lake District cannot set out to be over ambitious. And yet each of the principle operators is
a member of the Lake District National Park Partnership and is committed to delivering the
Vision and the Management Plan for the Park – as such each of the operators should be
challenged to provide parking services which support a prosperous economy and world
class visitor experiences whilst addressing important issues such as climate change and
landscape protection.
Scope of the Strategy
This strategy will focus on the operation of the car parks and on-street spaces with a view to
raising standards, improving the users experience and encouraging more sustainable travel
in and around the National Park. It will not attempt to address any shortcomings in the
amount or location of the car parking provision in the Lake District. These issues are for the
National Park’s Core Strategy and the county-wide transport plan to address.
The collective ambition for the strategy is:
“To deliver high quality and co-ordinated parking services in the Lake District which
provide a world class visitor experience, supporting sustainable travel and which
strike a fair balance between supporting a healthy local economy, meeting the needs
of operators and helping to look after the National Park”
The real challenge for Lake District National Park partners will be to achieve progress
towards a number of (sometimes competing) goals which underpin this ambition:






To support a sustainable transport infrastructure and enable a modal transport shift
To optimise income benefits for the operators and support the upkeep of the National
Park
To promote economic growth
To improve consistency between the different operators
To create top class visitor facilities which are simple to use and customer friendly
To complement the bid for World Heritage status
The strategy and the actions required to deliver it have been broken down into the different
components of car parking operation - notably information provision and signage, facilities
on site, methods of payment and tariffs, enforcement and quality standards. Given the
number of different interested bodies involved and the tight financial constraints under
which all partners are operating results will not be achieved overnight. However in moving
towards an agreed strategy and set of actions and standards the Lake District National Park
Partnership should achieve the collective ambition set out above within 5 years.
Lake District National Park Partnership
21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Annex 1 Page 3
AREA 1.0 INFORMATION AND SIGNAGE PROVISION
Ambition: A network of car parks and parking spaces in the Lake District with clear,
easy to follow signage, simple payment instructions and information on site to
orientate visitors and support the wider enjoyment of the local area.
At many of the car parks within the Lake District National Park there is a lack of useful
orientation information guiding visitors to nearby places of interest, visitor attractions and
itineraries which encourage movement around by other forms of transport. Bearing in mind
the car park is often the first arrival point for the majority of visitors there is a need to
provide way-finding and signage from these arrival nodes, as well as clear and concise
advice to motorists as to the parking charges, payment options and enforcement practices.
Information about the various sustainable travel itineraries, parking locations, pricing and
payment options also needs to be provided in advance on relevant destination websites so
that visitors can plan their visit in advance and budget effectively.
Although operators will wish to maintain their own branding on car park signage this will be
of limited interest to most visitors who will simply want to know where the car park is in
relation to the place or area that they are visiting (and the costs involved!). Where possible
therefore operators should be encouraged to move towards a more common set of signage
protocols and standards and information and visitor itineraries should be shared across the
different providers. Ideally the operators should also provide clear messages about how the
income generated from car parks is being spent to maintain and protect the National Park
and the services enjoyed by visitors.
The information which is provided, both in advance and on-site, should be clear, crisp and
unambiguous. It must be kept fresh and up-to-date. At key transport hubs and main car
parks (particularly in the International Growth Corridors identified in the’ See More of
Cumbria and The Lake District Programme’) the information should also be provided in
several different languages. This will be all the more important if The Lake District achieves
World Heritage Site inscription in 2017. Where possible, information and orientation could
also be made available on mobile web and apps with audio guides linking the parking area
to nearby attractions.
Highway directional signs to each car park (and groups of car parks) should be reviewed
and where necessary enhanced to improve traffic management and visitor orientation.
Postcode details of the next nearest car park should also be displayed near exits to cater
for peak demand and overflow situations. The high cost and potential harmful visual
impacts of installing ‘real time’ information displays of available parking capacity suggest
that this will not be an appropriate tool for The Lake District in the immediate future.
Action 1.1: Operators to review existing provision and prepare a park-wide signage plan
setting out the hierarchy of information and directional signs required at various car parking
locations together with shared content for use on websites and in relevant printed material.
Action 1.2: Cumbria Tourism to maintain up to date web information on
www.golakes.co.uk about car and coach parking facilities in the National Park together
with downloadable maps, charges and visitor itineraries in and around each key location.
Action 1.3: Operators to commission or prepare a range of itineraries linking key car parks
in the Lake District with places of interest and attractions via other forms of transport. In the
short term (2015-16) this work will be led by the See More Delivery team.
Lake District National Park Partnership
21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Annex 1 Page 4
AREA 2.0: CAR PARK FACILITIES
Ambition: High quality car parks in the Lake District with a range of facilities which
are appropriate in each location.
The car parks are often the first point of arrival for visitors to the National Park. As such they
should reinforce the quality of the visitor offer in the area, provide a reasonable perception
of value for money and also reassure the visitor that their vehicle will be safe during the
duration of stay. Some car parks in the park are in need of environmental improvements
such as landscaping, re-surfacing and re-lining. Elsewhere there is scope for rearranging
the movement of cars and pedestrians around the site. Where toilets are provided these
should be well maintained and managed; having paid to park the car many visitors will
expect these services to be available close by. Other basic facilities which visitors may want
to find in car parks, depending on their location, include recycling facilities, litter bins and
occasionally picnic tables.
The provision of facilities will, to a large extent, be dictated by the scale and location of the
car park together with the charges made. In more remote locations surfacing and lighting
will often be inappropriate- however this should also be reflected in the charges levied.
Several operators in the Lake District National Park have introduced pay-on-exit facilities
with camera led enforcement systems; this presents the opportunity to provide other
complementary visitor information at the payment terminals about places to go and
sustainable travel itineraries in the area. Multi-pay ticketing machines which accept
credit/debit card payments and mobile phone payments as well as cash are now the
standard throughout much of the National Park. Where such machinery does not already
exist it should be introduced at an early stage
Action 2.1: Operators to carry out an audit of existing car parks to highlight the need for
repairs and new infrastructure/enhancement followed by a prioritised investment plan to
raise standards and quality.
Action 2.2: Operators to agree basic facility standards for different tiers of car parks in
town/village and more remote countryside locations
AREA 3.0: PRICING AND METHODS OF PAYMENT
Ambition: Lake District Car parks with a coherent pricing system and a range of easy
payment options for visitors
Ideally the terms and conditions, tariff periods and pricing for car parks should be
standardised throughout the National Park. A simple and transparent system could be
adopted which enables visitors to find appropriate short-stay, long-stay, disabled, coach,
motorhome and overnight parking. In practice this will be difficult to achieve in the short
term for the reasons set out in the introduction. Nevertheless useful steps can be taken
towards harmonisation of terms and conditions, charging periods and a common pricing
strategy across the National Park. This should be based on the following principles
 The parking costs should be easy to remember and simple to understand
 The pricing structure should be clear and transparent
 The pricing structure should not see any operator have any significant deficit on their
existing parking income
 The pricing structure would be categorised by type of car park e.g. long or short stay
car parks, urban and rural.
 Charges should encourage longer stays and transfers to other transport modes such
as bus or boat
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21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Annex 1 Page 5
Operators should also be encouraged to move towards a ticketing scheme which would
enable 3 and 7 day permits to be bought in advance (usually on-line) and used in specific
car parks in the National Park. Currently this opportunity is only available on South
Lakeland District Council’s car parks. A more widely based scheme would offer better value
to the end user, increase visitor dwell time and enhance the visitor experience. Ideally
permits would also be available to purchase on line or from hotels and accommodation
providers. The sale of visitor parking permits can also encourage the use of sustainable
transport through discounting boat trips, bike hire, rail and bus journeys during the stay.
Indeed a new ‘Park and Explore’ joint ticket has recently been introduced by Stagecoach,
LDNP and South Lakeland District Council which will encourage families to leave the car
parked off-street and travel around the area by bus. The promotion of this new joint ticket
should be widely publicised to encourage a strong take-up and the introduction of similar
schemes elsewhere. Advances in technology together with the use of mobile apps by an
increasing proportion of visitors have substantially extended the opportunity for the
operation of joint ticketing and area-wide permits.
The majority of car parks in the National Park currently operate through a pay and display
system and users will generally have a choice of payment methods (Cash, phone or
credit/debit card). Whilst pay-on-exit schemes are generally more popular with users,
barrier controlled car parks are more expensive to install and manage and camera
controlled schemes (eg. Park with Ease) are not currently enforceable under Local Authority
Parking Regulations. Legislative changes will be required at a national level before camera
enforced pay on exit schemes can be rolled out across the whole of the National Park. In
the meantime as a general principle operators should be encouraged to offer as many
payment options as possible on each car park.
Action 3.1: Operators to prepare a plan for harmonising terms and conditions, charging
periods and tariffs across the Lake District National Park.
Action 3.2: Commission further research to improve understanding of current visitor
parking patterns in the Lake District (and elsewhere) and to explore the potential costs and
benefits of introducing a transferrable ticketing and parking permit scheme across the
National Park.
Action 3.3: LDNPP to lobby Government for legislative changes which will enable camera
led enforcement across all car parks in the Lake District and an extension of pay on exit
schemes.
AREA 4.0: ENFORCEMENT AND QUALITY STANDARDS
Ambition: Lake District Car Park operators will deliver consistent and fair
enforcement practices and high quality standards of customer care for all users
At present the enforcement of parking regulations and byelaws in the National Park is
undertaken by individual operators in line with the type of charging and regulatory system
which they use. Most of these operators employ manned patrols to circulate around their
pay and display car parks although an increasing number of ANPR schemes are in
operation through ‘Park with Ease’ at car parks. These are run on a contractual basis. Park
with Ease has proved to be a relatively user-friendly car parking system and is being
extended to other car parks (including Forestry Commission and privately owned sites)
wherever possible. The County Council currently looks after the regulation and enforcement
of on-street parking.
Over the last 12 months the number of complaints received by the Tourist Board about
parking enforcement matters has dropped off - suggesting that the operators are adopting a
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21 September 2015
Agenda Item: 6(e)
Annex 1 Page 6
more sympathetic and customer friendly approach to enforcement issues. Ideally all the
operators should adhere to similar standards (common fine levels, grace periods, payment
periods, appeal systems etc) and perhaps move towards a single enforcement regime
across the whole area in the longer term. Not only would this deliver economies of scale but
it would also make enforcement clearer for visitors and provide an opportunity to
standardise other parking issues such as charges and transferability. Progress on this
agenda may be prompted by a change in legislation on enforcement or a move towards
unitary local government.
Action 4.1: Operators to agree similar enforcement standards and practices across the
Lake District and explore the feasibility of a single enforcement regime in the longer term.
TAKING THE STRATEGY FORWARD
Having agreed a strategy and basic actions for improvement of car parking services and
facilities across the National Park the LDNPP will bring together the operators on a twice
yearly basis to maintain collaboration, monitor progress and accelerate delivery on the
ground. Progress will be reported to the full Partnership Board annually offering an
opportunity for other partners to raise issues of concern and monitor the progress that is
being made. The Lake District Business Task Force will also offer some degree of scrutiny
and request regular updates on delivery of the strategy.