Council takes action on inconsiderate parking in Stanmer Park

Drivers are being warned they could face hefty fines if they continue to park their cars inconsiderately on the main driveway in Stanmer Park.

Enforcement begins in the park from Monday, 13 November and vehicle owners could be fined up to £100. Parking on the main driveway has caused numerous problems for park users and residents.

The council’s action follows concerns from park users, businesses and residents about safety. The parking recently caused problems for an ambulance trying to get to Stanmer Village and the number of vehicles on the main access route through the park increased when the new university term began in October.

Stanmer Park has some limited parking available in designated car park areas on Stony Mere Way and off Ditchling Road. Restricting the parking to these areas also enables access for the 78 bus and Stanmer residents.

Warning signs were erected last week in preparation for the full enforcement.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the environment, transport & sustainability committee, said: “We understand the difficulties people have in finding a parking space, but we must put the safety of visitors to the park and the accessibility of emergency vehicles first.

“We have received complaints from Plumpton College, Stanmer House, the Tea Room, South Downs National Park Authority and residents who have all aired their concerns regarding the current situation.”

Councillor Mitchell added: “We are working with all park users and neighbours, including the universities, to address the problem long-term, but the need to find an immediate solution was demonstrated a few weeks ago when an ambulance took more than ten minutes to pass through the park.”

The council has engaged a private contractor, One Parking Solution Ltd., to enforce parking on the main drive through the park. This is a temporary arrangement while the council investigates solutions to control parking long-term.

The contractor is not charging the council for this work as money from fines will go back to the company to cover their costs.