Scarborough's park and ride facilities on Seamer Road and Filey Road could be repurposed to accommodate overnight motorhome parking following a permanent ban on overnight street parking in parts of the town.
Discussions are currently underway regarding the future of overnight parking in Scarborough, following a recent decision to make the ban on overnight parking in certain parts of the town permanent. Attention has now turned to the potential use of the town's existing infrastructure to accommodate visitors.
Specifically, the focus is on whether Scarborough’s park and ride sites could be repurposed to offer a solution for campervan and motorhome parking. The coastal town currently operates two main park and ride facilities, located on Seamer Road and Filey Road.
The debate highlights a divide in how to handle different types of recreational vehicles visiting the Yorkshire Coast. Suggestions have been put forward to differentiate between motorhomes, which may only require an overnight stay, and campervans, which often remain in the area for several days.
Councillor Eric Broadbent has weighed in on the issue, suggesting that the current capacity of the park and ride sites could be better utilised. He noted that even during the peak tourist season in the middle of summer, the facilities are often only partially full.
Councillor Broadbent said:
"We've got these two sites on the Seamer Road, the Filey Road, surely we could direct people that only wish to stay the night and that's the motorhomes, not the campervans, they want to stay for a few more days. They could go to one of these two sites in Scarborough, they're not busy all year round, even in the middle of the summer I think some of these park and ride sites are only half used. So if you got a quarter of these sites, put special markings in, you could give them some extra facilities. I don't believe that this council should be providing car parking for motorhomes or campervans. I think we should especially in our tourist area they should be just like everywhere else."
The suggestion to install special markings and provide extra facilities at the Seamer Road and Filey Road sites presents a potential logistical shift for the local authority. However, as Councillor Broadbent noted, there remains a philosophical question about whether the council should be responsible for providing such amenities in a popular tourist area.
Responding to the proposals, North Yorkshire Council Area Manager For Highways, Richard Marr addressed the complexities involved in the council going the full distance to provide dedicated overnight facilities. A primary concern is the potential economic impact on existing local businesses.
Marr pointed out that the council has historically maintained a stance of not wanting to enter into direct competition with privately owned, licensed sites that already offer overnight accommodation for motorhomes and campervans.
Marr said:
"The tricky one about actually going the full distance and providing facilities maybe in the park and ride, maybe somewhere else is a big question that really needs a lot of debate, discussion. Previously we have had the opinion that we do not want to be in direct competition with licensed sites. And so that square will need circling at some point in the future. But I'll certainly take that back especially the point about the park and rides for the Scarborough issues."
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