Getting councils to provide M/H stopovers

[david lloyd]

I wish you well in your endeavours Biggarmac your story sounds very, very familiar to me. Some years ago I started down the same road with the same objective in mind and encountered all (and probably more) of the problems you have with the Local Authority. After two years I knew much more about why it is a little more difficult in this country to establish such facilities. We gradually worked our way through all the arguments against overnight parking, changing the legal parking orders and residents objections. Perseverance paid off and eventually an official camping aire was established in the ancient market town of Guisborough. The group I worked with were also keen, if the scheme proved worthwhile to the town, to extend it to other areas of Redcar and Cleveland.

 

I had a great deal of support from members on this forum and particularly from Graham Hadfield who maintains a very informative website detailing what parking every local authority offers for motorhomes. This can be found at www.motorhomeparking.co.uk

 

The background to the story can be read on the fiollowing thread:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4457&start=1

 

 

Sadly, in the end, it was not the 'mean' councils or the campsite owners that put a stop to the scheme but the lack of use by motorhomers that brought the scheme to an end. After a year of monitoring the scheme Redcar and Cleveland council decided that 2 motorhomes staying over in 12 months was not really the sort of additional tourism numbers they had been led to believe would visit the town and brought it to an end. I did try to get a reprieve but some local politics were also involved and the signs were taken down. It is unlikely that such a facility will be considered again.

 

So, if Biggarmac is successful in his attempts to get his local authority to provide such facilities I would ask that everyone seriously considers using it whenever they are in the area.

 

Good Luck

David

 

 

[747]

Your efforts were much appreciated David and probably gave others heart to approach their Council.

 

I have tried with Gateshead Council. Possibly because it is a very large (and unweildy) organisation, I never get to speak or email anyone senior. I shall not remark on the mentality of the ones I have contacted. *-) Perhaps they were deliberately acting dim. :-D As it happens, I wasted my time and effort as they cancelled their plans for a Park and Ride. I was promoting the concept of no height barriers and larger parking bays. I was also hoping to ask for overnighting but that would probably have been a step too far.

 

I would normally give little hope in this area but I feel this Portas Plan is a package and not a single issue. While Councils are being receptive to change, we may get a foot in the door.

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Although it sounds defeatist I'd give up, contacting local councils will NEVER establish an aire system, God knows these are the very same people that put up height barriers in so many places. The excuse being "travellers" may occupy the local car park. It's simple really, bring in UK laws that allow the instant removal of "travellers" by whatever means, and have an act of parliament to legislate for ALL councils to provide "aires", but you only have to think for a minute of the likelihood of that happening, i.e, ZERO chance, so I'd just divert my energies elsewhere,rather than flogging a dead horse as this topic has been done to death time and time again.

 

I'm reminded of the signs on our last trip up from Dover "tiredness kills, take a break" only to pull over on a mway service area to find we could only stay a maximum of two hours without incurring a £80 "fine" bloody madness, so a couple of hours head down was out the question in case we didn't comply with the two hour limit, this in the middle of the night and an all but deserted car park, but that's the UK for you,

 

oh and off topic, visiting a relative in hospital and having no alternative to paying £4 to park for just over two hours in the bloody NHS car park.

 

As for the Portas plan, I cannot think of any single UK city that I would feel comfortable sleeping in my van even if it was a possibility, unless it was surrounded by razor wire and machine gun posts.

 

:-(

[lennyhb]

We used to do a lot more camping in the UK when we were tuggers, since getting a Motorhome all we do now in the UK is a couple of music festivals, a couple of nights on a CL/ CS and the odd winter weekend in the New forest.

It's just too much hassle to take the Motorhome anywhere in the UK can't even park anywhere in the day let alone at night. Cl & CS are usually in the middle of nowhere.

 

So much easier to pop across the channel a cheap 5 day crossing for around £70 then save £30 on a tank of fuel to bring back save a minimum of £100 on wine hardly any camping fees, it's win win situation.

Even been into car parks in Germany where they charge less for a Motorhome than a car (car 5€, M/H 2€ )

 

We would love to visit towns and villages in the UK but are made so unwelcome we would rather go somewhere where we are welcome and spend our money where it's appreciated.

 

Maybe when our councillors are off on their Twin Town jollies we need to get in touch with the French or German town councillors they are visiting and ask them to make a point of showing our councillors the provisions they make for Motorhomes and the benefits that they bring to their towns.

[747]

1footinthegrave - 2012-07-12 7:53 PM

 

Although it sounds defeatist I'd give up, contacting local councils will NEVER establish an aire system, God knows these are the very same people that put up height barriers in so many places. The excuse being "travellers" may occupy the local car park. It's simple really, bring in UK laws that allow the instant removal of "travellers" by whatever means, and have an act of parliament to legislate for ALL councils to provide "aires", but you only have to think for a minute of the likelihood of that happening, i.e, ZERO chance, so I'd just divert my energies elsewhere,rather than flogging a dead horse as this topic has been done to death time and time again.

 

I'm reminded of the signs on our last trip up from Dover "tiredness kills, take a break" only to pull over on a mway service area to find we could only stay a maximum of two hours without incurring a £80 "fine" bloody madness, so a couple of hours head down was out the question in case we didn't comply with the two hour limit, this in the middle of the night and an all but deserted car park, but that's the UK for you,

 

oh and off topic, visiting a relative in hospital and having no alternative to paying £4 to park for just over two hours in the bloody NHS car park.

 

As for the Portas plan, I cannot think of any single UK city that I would feel comfortable sleeping in my van even if it was a possibility, unless it was surrounded by razor wire and machine gun posts.

 

:-(

 

You know why you are paying £4 to park ?

 

Because we are generally a nation of defeatists. I like being a thorn in the side of officialdom, especially Council bureaucrats.

 

I will take on board your comments and should we ever get some aiires, I will make sure that you are turned away from them due to their lack of suitable security for you. We would not want you to have a sleepless night. :D

 

BTW, if you google Portas Plan, you will see that major cities are not included in the scheme but I bet you know that there are thugs everywhere. ;-)

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Please don't accuse me of being apathetic, just prefer a realist.

 

I can tell you friend I've attempted to be a thorn in the side of officialdom at every opportunity, as was my late brother with his constant but non the less fruitless battles with his local council, even being voted in as an independent for a few years he came to realise was a complete waste of his energies and as it turned out a waste of his valuable time ( of which he was sadly unaware of a late diagnosed terminal illness meant his life would be over all too soon). You battle on, I'll just carry on enjoying European countries that welcome us, rather than make the same mistake as my brother, with trying to deal with brain dead council officials.

 

I do agree, the great British public are an apathetic lot, even loudly complaining at having to pay to park to visit a very sick relative, my rants were met with incredulity by those within ear shot, so why bother, we get what we deserve.

[Losos]

pelmetman - 2012-07-11 10:59 PMSo where about is it?.............. walking distance of the town centre and the Abbey? ;-)

 

It's definately walking distance to the Abbey, the town centre is a tad further up Abbeygate street which is uphill, taking it at a slow walk I would say about ten minutes to the far side of the town centre. Not so long ago I walked into the centre and back, then I remembered I had forgotten something so walked in and back again, then SWMBO phoned me and asked me to get something so I went back a third time!!! if I can do it anyone can lol!!!!

 

[Rod_vw]

Biggarmac, don't be put off by the apathetic remarks, somehow the project needs to succeed!

 

Maybe your best allies would be the owners and editors of the motor home magazines and the motor home manufacturers / converters. If you had the weight of these folks behind the project I feel that most UK MH users could be persuaded to lobby MPs & councils, pre-formatted letters and contact addresses published in magazines may be a start.

 

I know there are many obstacles, legal and financial to name but two.

 

Editors of - Go Motorhome - Motorcaravan & Motorhome Monthly - Which Motorcaravan - Practical Motorhome - etc. please get behind this and persuade your advertisers to do the same. Again we can quote the French, their magazines vociferously support their readers needs lets see the British ones do the same.

 

Rod