Sleaford Car Parks, NKDC, Lincolnshire

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Zoe
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Sleaford Car Parks, NKDC, Lincolnshire

Post by Zoe »

Please see a possibly encouraging reply to my initial email enquiry to North Kesteven District Council

Good morning Mrs Watson

In response to your email about car parks in Sleaford; none of them are designated to permit overnight parking for motorhomes. The parking order which is the period when payment is required is from 08.00 – 18.00 Monday to Saturday. Whilst no proactive provision is made for motorhomes there is no overnight enforcement so if a motorhome was parked, the Council may not know about it.

I agree with the principal that motorhomes could positively impact on the towns economy but as it stands there is nothing in place for example signage to encourage, promotion on websites etc. The one logisitical drawback is the size of the parking bays i.e. standard car size.

Can I say to you that I will raise your email as a point of discussion at a forthcoming car park strategy group meeting and report back.

I hope that is helpful for the time being.

Kind regards - Nina

Nina Camm
Waste and Street Scene Manager
Mental Health First Aider
Tel: 01529 308380
Nina_Camm@N-KESTEVEN.GOV.UK
www.n-kesteven.gov.uk

My reply

Dear Ms Camm,
Thank you very much for your reply. Please see below more information in support of my request that you will be raising at the next car parking strategy meeting.
Sleaford is a lovely town, I lived in Sleaford for 16 years before moving to Helpringham and it’s a shame that Sleaford is missing out on income from the fastest growing market sector of tourists, ie motorhomes.
Motorhome owners don't need campsites with all the bells and whistles - toilets, shower blocks, clubhouses, play areas - just a place to park for one or two nights.
In Sleaford, we have numerous big car parks where between 5-10 spaces could be designated for motorhome overnight parking.
This would have a number of benefits to the region.
• Extra parking revenue - surveys show motorhomers are prepared to pay £5 per overnight plus whatever is the standard charge for daytime parking. Better than the land standing empty overnight - car parks can raise revenue for 24 hours. During daytime hours a motorhome could be asked to pay for the number of car parking spaces it is occupying or pay a different tariff, if loss of daytime revenue is of concern. Car parking spaces with a grass verge, such as at Eastgate car park would allow the extra length of the motorhome to overhang. Also in the Market Place there are no marked parking bays.
• Motorhomers spend, on average, in excess of £47 per night in local businesses such as shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs.
• The presence of a group of motorhomes parked up overnight can be a deterrent to criminals.
• There are massive networking opportunities between motorhomers' social media groups and there would be lots of free advertising of the area as a tourist destination.
• We support the environment - most of us carry litter pickers and tidy up whatever we find around us. We do not make a mess.
All over Europe there are networks of motorhome 'Aires', our French twin town, Marquette-lez-Lille has one at the car park on Rue des Marronniers. They roll out the red carpet and benefit from the motorhome tourists' €£s.
As an experienced motorhomer, I believe Sleaford has a lot to offer.
I appreciate that there might be issues that could concern you but none of them is insurmountable. Canterbury has three such aires and they are making a lot of money for the council. They have tried and tested strategies for dealing with any potential issues that might arise and are happy to speak to anyone who would like to consider opening an aire – please visit www.campra.org.uk for contact details.
Please check out the CAMpRA website www.campra.org.uk, where you will find lots of information on how to set up an aire and the benefits they can bring. There is even a ready prepared strategy document for you to use.
Motorhome stopover sites would have no impact at all on local campsites, hotels and B&Bs as they are a different market - without Aires in the UK, motorhomers will simply take their holidays and their money to Europe, and European motorhomers will probably not come here. We have information that Europeans are baffled and dismayed by the UK's lack of specific provision and are, on the whole, unwilling to pay the extortionate rates demanded by campsites.
COVID guidelines permitting I would be more than happy to bring my motorhome for yourself and other committee members to take a look at. You will see that motorhomes are completely self contained with kitchen and bathroom facilities and waste storage tanks so motorhomes will leave nothing behind.
I can supply extra information as and when your committee would like to read this.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Zoë Watson

6 Hale Road
Helpringham
NG34 0RL
Steve
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Re: Sleaford Car Parks, NKDC, Lincolnshire

Post by Steve »

Perfect Zoe
Steve - CAMpRA Leadership Team
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