Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

The Borough-wide car parking strategy and Yarm

In December, Stockton Council's Cabinet approved a car parking strategy which aims to support economic success and continued growth by improving car parking and encouraging visitors to the centres of Stockton, Billingham, Thornaby and Yarm.

We are committed to supporting the economic development and growth of all our town centres and making it is easy and attractive as possible for visitors heading in to shop, socialise or work.

In Yarm, the Borough and Town Councils, working in partnership, recently commissioned independent market research to look at parking and seek the views of residents, businesses and visitors.  This showed a need to increase availability of short stay spaces and provide more long stay parking.

Yarm High Street currently has just over 200 two-hour spaces and 125 unrestricted spaces. Further spaces are provided off the High Street, making just over 600 town centre spaces in total.  

Short stay:  To increase the availability of spaces, 'pay and display' will be introduced to allow motorists a flexible approach, whether staying ten minutes or several hours, using a clear and easy to manage system, seen in most towns and cities.  

We plan to extend the short stay area of the cobbles, providing an extra 80 spaces, as well as introducing a pay and display system.

Long stay:  Additional long stay car parking continues to be a priority.  Stockton Council remains committed to providing a long stay car park in the town. and we are working with Yarm Town Council and residents to secure this.  Network Rail are investigating the feasibility of using an area under the viaduct and we are also looking at other opportunities.
                

What happens next?

             
We are now finalising the details of our plans and the next stage will be for the Borough Council to meet with businesses and residents based on the High Street over the coming weeks to discuss their needs and concerns.  A statutory consultation exercise will then take place in the spring.  Subject to this, the changes could be introduced during the summer.  

Further information can be obtained from Technical Services.

      
Some facts behind this decision explained

               
FACT: On a typical day, more than half Yarm's 600 car parking spaces are occupied by local shop and business staff.
         

MYTH: Parking charges will be expensive.

FACT: Likely High Street short-stay charges are:

• First 10 minutes - Free
• Half hour - 20p
• 1 hour - £1, then 50p for each extra half hour (no limit)
• Long-stay parking (High Street and public car parks) - around £2 a day
• Evenings and Sundays - Free
                  

         
MYTH: Most people want to park for three hours, not two.

FACT: Most of Yarm's 4,000 daily visitors stay for less than 1 and a half hours.  Only 4% of those surveyed* would like to park for more than 2 hours, which the new charges will allow.
       

       
MYTH: Parking charges could put off shoppers.

FACT: Short-stay charges will encourage a regular turn-over of spaces for shoppers. 29% of those surveyed* said 'availability of spaces' stopped them visiting Yarm more often. The planned extra short stay spaces will make them easier to find.
           

         
MYTH: Parking charges must raise a fortune for the Council.

FACT: By law, any income from parking must go into managing and maintaining car parking. If there is any surplus, it goes towards supporting loss-making bus services.
             

        
MYTH: The Disc Zone works well - why change it?

FACT: It's inflexible, hard to understand and enforce and one in four visitors arrive with no disc. 13% have received a penalty charge notice - a high level which means we must look for another way to control parking which everyone understands.
           

           
MYTH: There's been no consultation on this.

FACT: In 2011, Stockton Council, working with Yarm Town Council, commissioned independent market research* which asked more than 900 people about shopping and parking in Yarm, following earlier consultation in 2009.
          

        
MYTH: Charging will take millions out of the High Street.

FACT: There is no basis for this.  In fact, every space currently used for staff parking could contribute £20,000 of consumer spend each year. To attract 15% more visitors, we need to free up 80-100 short stay spaces.
             

* All data based on NEMS Market Research 2011