North Berwick: major clampdown on free town centre parking

The proposals – the biggest shake-up of parking provision in North Berwick for decades – would, says the council, greatly improve “parking management” and raise much-needed income for the local authority.

At its crux are plans to introduce four Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) where on-street parking charges – varying from 50p to £1 per 30-minute period – would be introduced and residents in designated streets would be charged £40 for parking permits.

Motorists would also be charged during the day to use the town centre car parks – with a maximum stay of four hours – with the exception being Recreation Park car park where free, long-stay parking would remain.

North Berwick residents are now being asked their views on the plans, with similar parking consultations to be launched in other county towns in the months ahead.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, the council leader, said: “Demand for parking in many of East Lothian’s town centres can be high, especially at peak periods. A lack of spaces can make it difficult for people to access amenities and local businesses.

“With East Lothian having a growing population and being a popular visitor destination, we need to achieve a balanced and sustainable approach which meets parking needs, whilst ensuring our town centres remain vibrant and attractive places in which to live, work and visit.

“As well as encouraging greater use of public transport and promoting active travel such as walking and cycling to address the Climate Emergency, we need to look at what steps can be taken to manage the parking spaces which are available in our town centres to meet needs more effectively.

“The consultation proposes measures to improve the turnover and, in turn, availability of parking spaces through charging in some areas, introduces permits for households in four of the busiest areas of the town and maintains provision for motorists with disabilities.”

And he acknowledged that income from parking charges could help support the setting of a “balanced council budget” and “maintaining provision of services”.

He added: “This would be alongside delivering the investment required to introduce and maintain parking management arrangements and to achieve safer streets, parking space turnover and wider investment in active travel and sustainable transport provision.”

The council leader hoped as many people as possible in the town took the opportunity to comment on the proposals.

“While no final decisions have been taken, consulting on possible ways forward will help us address the current problems we face with parking whilst supporting economic recovery, improving access and enhancing the environment,” he said.

The planned Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) would be named Central, East, West and South and would roughly stretch from Ware Road in the west to close to Recreation Park in the east, and as far south as Clifford Road/St Baldred’s Road.

To aid town centre shoppers, it is proposed that the first half hour of parking will be free of charge in the Central CPZ only.

The proposed time limits and charges would differ slightly in each of the areas, with charges varying from 50p to £1 per 30 minute period.

Additional ‘enforcement officers’ would be employed, says the council, to ensure the new regulations were being followed.

An area has been identified to the east of the town centre which the council has deemed suitable for overnight parking stays. There will be an overnight charge for parking in these areas between midnight and 6am.

No changes are proposed to the existing waiting, loading and unloading areas within the town, except for the removal of parking on the narrow east end of the High Street which, says the council, reflects the outcome of previous consultations.

No changes are proposed to the locations of the dedicated blue badge parking areas for blue badge holders within the town centre.

Brett Walker, chair of North Berwick Coastal On The Move Group, said: "I shall be supporting the parking review as it is fair to residents in North Berwick town centre and might just make others think about walking or wheeling into town. That said, the charges proposed are not excessive but will still cover the cost of the meters within one year. I wish I had 50p for every time a visitor has asked me, ‘Where do I pay?’”.

Nicky Fox, chair of North Berwick Community Centre and a town centre resident, is encouraging both residents and businesses to have their say.

She said: “If we agree that current parking arrangements in North Berwick are unsatisfactory it makes sense to try new approaches - more of the same won't help. We need to find out what will work, so please contribute to the consultation.”

The consultation runs for six weeks until December 13. The full proposals can be viewed on the council website by visiting here where residents can also make their views on the propasals known.

Drop-in consultation events are being planned and paper copies of the consultation will be available for collection later this week from North Berwick Community Centre, North Berwick Library, North Berwick medical practice and Gullane medical practice and can be returned to the council by post.

The key elements of the Council’s proposals for North Berwick

Four new Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) are proposed in North Berwick, where there are currently problems with the management of parking and high demand in comparison with capacity.

The advantages of introducing CPZs, says East Lothian Council, include:

• Better management of the limited parking space available in the town;

• Convenience and improved parking opportunity for residents who are currently affected by high demand for parking spaces at peak times;

• Increased turnover of vehicles parking in the town, providing easier access to businesses, shops and leisure facilities;

• Reduced inappropriate and indiscriminate parking which can cause inconvenience and congestion; and

• Introduction of an appropriate area for visitors making overnight stops, for example in motorhomes.

The proposal will lead to the marking out of residents’ parking areas on street, with each household able to apply for up to two parking permits. A charge will be levied per permit, which will be set to reflect the cost of providing the service and its monitoring and enforcement (currently proposed to be £40).

It is also proposed that charges will be introduced for ‘on street’ parking within the CPZs. The existing car parks will be designated for either short stays or long stays, with charges being introduced for the use of the short stay car parks. The Recreation Ground car park (rugby club) will be the one designated for long stays and will remain free of charge.

The four proposed CPZs will be for the Central area, East, West and South of the centre, as shown on the map. No changes are proposed to the existing waiting, loading and unloading areas within the town, except for the removal of on street parking on the east end of the High Street. No changes are proposed to the dedicated blue badge parking areas for blue badge holders within the town centre.

It is recognised that many trips into the Central area are very short, with people calling into shops for essentials, picking up and dropping off. It is therefore proposed that in the Central area CPZ, the first half hour of parking will be free of charge.

The hours in which charges apply will be from 8.30am-6pm every day of the week. Along with the proposed charges the Council will employ additional enforcement officers who will enforce over-stays, non-payment and parking out with the designated areas.

An area has been identified to the east of the town which is suitable for overnight parking stays, for example for visitors arriving in motorhomes and campervans. There will be an overnight charge for parking in these areas between 12 midnight and 6am.

The proposed time limits and charges will be slightly different in the four areas due to differing parking demands. The details are set out below. There will be signs within each area making it clear which CPZ you would be parking in.

Residents’ parking

• Residents in all four proposed CPZ areas will be able to apply for up to 2 permits per household to park in the CPZ in which they live, for a £40 annual fee per permit. The permit will allow them to park in areas of the street that have been marked out for residents' parking in that CPZ i.e. if you live in the West CPZ you can purchase a West CPZ parking permit, which will allow you to park in residents' parking areas of the West CPZ only.

On street parking in the Central CPZ

• It is proposed that the first 30 minutes of parking in the Central CPZ will be free and drivers will need to collect a ticket from the machine or register their arrival on the RingGo app. On street parking in the Central CPZ will be limited to 90 minutes, with no return within 2 hours. There will be a charge of £1 for each 30 minutes after the free period ends, with a maximum charge of £2 for the maximum time period of 90 minutes.

• It is recognised that it may take blue badge holders with disabilities a little longer to undertake essential shopping trips, so it is proposed that blue badge holders will be able to park on street for 90 minutes free within the Central CPZ.

Parking in the West CPZ

• It is proposed that parking on street in the West CPZ will cost 50p for every 30 minutes of parking during the charging hours from 8.30am-6pm. There will be a maximum parking time of 5 hours in this area. Some of the streets will have shared areas designated for resident permit holders and visitors to park and pay. Other areas will be for residents only.

Parking in the South CPZ

• It is proposed that parking on street in the South CPZ will cost 50p for every 30 minutes of parking during the charging hours from 8.30am-6pm, so the maximum charge per day to park will be £5. No maximum length of stay is proposed. Some streets will be designated for residents only.

Parking in the East CPZ

• It is proposed that parking on street in the East CPZ will cost 50p for every 30 minutes of parking during the charging hours from 8.30am-6pm, so the maximum charge per day to park will be £5. No maximum length of stay is proposed. Some streets will be designated for residents only.

• Parking for blue badge holders will be provided close to the beach ramp on Melbourne Road to facilitate access to the beach. The charge will be 50p per half hour with a maximum charge of £5 per day.

Overnight parking in the East CPZ

• An area covering the following parts of the East Zone: Melbourne Road, Quadrant, Castlehill Car Park, Sewage Works Car Park and Haugh Car Park is proposed to have designated overnight parking for a charge of £12, for the period from 12 midnight to 6am. No return will be allowed within 24 hours under the proposals.

Short Stay Car Parks

• A charge of 50p per 30 minutes is proposed for the use of all short stay off street car parks in the town from 8.30am-6pm, with a maximum length of stay of 4 hours and no return within 2 hours. The following car parks will be designated as short stay and will be covered by the 4 hour maximum period: The Glebe, Quality Street, The Lodge, Gardeners’ Garden car parks.

• The first 30 minutes will be free in the Law Road car park. Parking will be limited to 90 minutes with no return within 2 hours. There will be a charge of £1 for each 30 minutes after the free period ends, with a maximum charge of £2 for the maximum time period of 90 minutes.

• Parking will be free at the Community Centre and Museum for the purposes of using those facilities only. Parking will be controlled and enforced by an appropriate monitoring system.

Long Stay Car Park

• There will be no charge for parking at the Recreation Ground car park (rugby club).