Council ban motorhome parking after 8.00pm to 8.00am at New Brighton

New Brighton was disappointing. This is one of the few councils where I didn't ask for details of residents' complaints. Council officers said that there was no evidence of environmental crimes so any complaints can't have been about the usual discarding of waste - more likely that we are just unsightly - if there were any.. Council officers proposed providing overnight parking nearby. There would have been little cost involved – perhaps signing but no services were proposed. There was a fairly full report prepared by officers – superceded by this one earlier this year and it is a useful read.

https://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/documents/s50065321/Management of Campervans Scrutiny Review Appendix.pdf

More information from 2018 here (the comments are interesting):

https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/16312972.residents-anger-over-camper-van-owners/

"According to a report to be discussed by councillors, action to combat the problem includes the controversial plans for coastal parking charges, as well as possibly creating a camper van park to divert the vehicles from New Brighton."

The cabinet holder (the decision maker) refused the propsoals and instead went for an experimental traffic order banning motorhomes..

Experimental Orders can be instituted without the consulations and democractic checks and balances required for permanent TROs. They can later be converted to permanent orders also without the usual democractic balances; the reason for this is that if the experimental order attracrts few complaints then this is judged to be a democratic check, that is, the presence or absence of complaints about the experiment will be regarded as public consultation.

New Brighton looked hopeful but it was a disappointment.
 
I have always stayed there with my daughter at the weekends,it was great because we had the Morrison's for food shopping or chippy by the castle and Starbucks in the morning,the walks down the beach,10 miles I would make her walk then remind her its 10 back haha,I would have happily paid a parking fee to stay again.last time I stayed was a year ago and got a ticket for parking by the yacht club where the life guard hut is,new Brighton will lose revenue banning campervan/motorhomes.I will have to find somewhere new to visit and stay.
 
I think I must have a gene missing, but I don't seem to have that draw to the sea that seems to be in most people. I can't get excited by waves. Admittedly in New Brighton you can watch the wind turbines spinning🥱. Perhaps it's just that I've spent most of my life living on the coast, first in South Shields when the Tyne was a busy working river and now on the Solent which is quite busy normally.
 
This is purely down to all the nobheads taking the piss and spending days on end there parked up.

If ever we was down that way we would call in to have something to eat at dinnertime and would always park at the cul-de-sac end well away from everything.

Last time we was there i got talking to one of the many many motorhomers parked there and he bragged about being parked up there for 5 days.

I asked where he was emptying his cassette and he said same as everyone else, either down the drain in the gutter or dig a hole on the beach.
 
You'd think somebody would complain, wouldn't you?

I didn't ask the council to produce complaints so I don't know how many there were. But I do know there were complaints. At a Stakeholder meeting to discuss the continuation of the experimental traffic order there were four residents who complained. Four complainants were deeemed to be enough to continue the ban on motorhomes.

Officers of the council were unable to find any evidence of environmental crimes. Should have asked us motorhomers; we'd have given them plenty.

This :

https://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/documents/s50065321/Management of Campervans Scrutiny Review Appendix.pdf

is a very good read and contains some statistics useful to those who want to see councils not impose restrictions or to those who wish to see councils give permissions for overnighting.

Section 5 particularly.

ii) As expected, displacement of these vehicles has occurred and caused similar issues in alternative areas of New Brighton. Although similar restrictions are currently in place along Pilot’s Way in New Brighton, it is clear that an aspirational, integrated and holistic approach to the management of campervans in Wallasey and New Brighton is necessary, to continue to encourage visitors to the areas whilst reducing any detrimental impact on local residents and communities.

iii) There is a clear need for an alternative off-highway provision with dedicated facilities for motor caravans at a central location along the North Wirral coast. Whilst the Panel recognise that there will be inevitable financial implications, capital investment andsignificant resource involved in identifying the most suitable site, Members suggest thatsuch a facility could become self-financing or even income generating in the long-term

New Brighton may yet become a possibility and is not yet a total loss.

Another project for those who wish to see aires established?
 
Wooie1958 said:
This is purely down to all the nobheads taking the piss and spending days on end there parked up.

If ever we was down that way we would call in to have something to eat at dinnertime and would always park at the cul-de-sac end well away from everything.

Last time we was there i got talking to one of the many many motorhomers parked there and he bragged about being parked up there for 5 days.

I asked where he was emptying his cassette and he said same as everyone else, either down the drain in the gutter or dig a hole on the beach.
Click to expand...

Wooie you get wankers everywhere it’s a sad state of affairs but that’s the reality of the situation. What was required was proper control, not carte Blanche banning of everyone including no doubt the majority of considerate motorhomers. Look what they did in Hawick you can stay but only one night.
I have never been to Brighton but I would be amazed if this was the only issue regarding those who visit. How many tons of litter are lifted from the beach each year, how many dog faeces are not picked up, and what has been done about those far more important issues. Putting in place max stay periods of one or two nights, and using cctv to police these controls would have sorted these muppets out. And that way all of those who enjoyed their stay in Brighton responsibly could have continued to do so. But after this the beach will still be full of waste, and the dogs will still be dumping their £$%^, but as usual we alone have been dealt with.
 
It was an interesting but long read, what i didn't understand was what was available in neighbouring councils, NOTHING! They obviously didn't look too hard.

Just a across the water in Liverpool quayside parking is provided at £15 with some facilities.

Southport has an "Aires" facility at £10

Lytham and Fleetwood both provide parking and even toilet waste disposal.

But as someones said it's not a lost cause yet, there could be an Aire in the future, until then unfortunately I will spend my £50 a day elsewhere.
 
Wooie1958 said:
This is purely down to all the nobheads taking the piss and spending days on end there parked up.

If ever we was down that way we would call in to have something to eat at dinnertime and would always park at the cul-de-sac end well away from everything.

Last time we was there i got talking to one of the many many motorhomers parked there and he bragged about being parked up there for 5 days.

I asked where he was emptying his cassette and he said same as everyone else, either down the drain in the gutter or dig a hole on the beach.
Click to expand...
This strictly isnt the case, I spend many a night here, there are public toilets down near where you say the Cul de sac (that is now off limits) that can be used to empty if needed.
As for no where to go there is plenty places to go, down the road, on coastal drive fort perch car park etc etc for.
There will always be nob eds, but I have done easily 100 nights here, and never once seen a dodgy cassette disposal, and I night fish, roam and am up most the night sleep the day.
the worst I seen was mr generator man, and one guy dropping his grey as he drove out.

Yes there are 3 vans that fulltime here most of the year, one guy works at the supermarket
 
Im here now, and deciding on here or over to Wallasey later, I wouldnt say there were more than a normal "pre lockdown" saturday
But the bars near the seafront have a few folk.
 
Herman said:
It was an interesting but long read, what i didn't understand was what was available in neighbouring councils, NOTHING! They obviously didn't look too hard.

Just a across the water in Liverpool quayside parking is provided at £15 with some facilities.

Southport has an "Aires" facility at £10

Lytham and Fleetwood both provide parking and even toilet waste disposal.

But as someones said it's not a lost cause yet, there could be an Aire in the future, until then unfortunately I will spend my £50 a day elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Its not a lost cause, rumour was a counsellor lived in the houses up near the old parking place at the cul de sac part and had an influence in stopping at that end, but that is just a 100m stretch of about 1 mile
 
landoboguy said:
This strictly isnt the case, I spend many a night here, there are public toilets down near where you say the Cul de sac (that is now off limits) that can be used to empty if needed.
As for no where to go there is plenty places to go, down the road, on coastal drive fort perch car park etc etc for.
There will always be nob eds, but I have done easily 100 nights here, and never once seen a dodgy cassette disposal, and I night fish, roam and am up most the night sleep the day.
the worst I seen was mr generator man, and one guy dropping his grey as he drove out.

Yes there are 3 vans that fulltime here most of the year, one guy works at the supermarket
Click to expand...

Then the one i spoke to must have been lying or just saying it to wind me up.
 
landoboguy said:
Its not a lost cause, rumour was a counsellor lived in the houses up near the old parking place at the cul de sac part and had an influence in stopping at that end, but that is just a 100m stretch of about 1 mile
Click to expand...

That's the truth. I think one of the four complainants, without going back to the report, was the self apointed chairman of something or other but without any support on the night - wsell, three others, But hardly a large number.
 
Wooie1958 said:
Then the one i spoke to must have been lying or just saying it to wind me up.
Click to expand...


You think so? Not sure why anyone would do that but you were there when it was said. It's true that, invariably, the only complaints about bad behaviour of motorhomers comes from motorhomers ourselves. Well, mostly. Negligible number of complaints from the public. And that's official. On investigation using the Freedom of Information Act there are never the complaints from the public that we think there are.
 
There are 'no overnight parking' signs for motorhomes all along the promenade at New Brighton now. There is an area set aside for overnight parking and the charge is £20 per night. This starts on 6th July I believe.

The council seems to have learned the lesson from last time, when the banned overnight parking at the end of the prom, and everyone just moved further up the road.

There are plenty of full timers there, so it will be interesting to see what happens. £20 for zero facilities seems a bit of a bum deal. I really can't see the point of all this.

Bill.
 
How anything sensible or forward looking is ever achieved by many local governments throughout the UK has always seemed like a complete miracle to me (for wide range of reasons). It was ever thus. 🤷‍♀️

£20 for the privilege of parking your camper somewhere overnight with no facilities is crazy and quite simply out-and-out profiteering.
This is becoming the norm and is and always will be highly discriminatory, imo.

There are many flavours of campervanners/motorhomers, from 'rat vans' to state-of-the-art, eye-wateringly expensive motorhomes.
For the latter, £20 is chicken feed and won't affect them at all, but for the former £20 is a lot of money to fork out for one night's park up with no facilities.

Not everyone who owns a camper and likes the camper life has bottomless pockets.
They are being priced out of visiting the 'honeypots' in the same way that the locals are being priced out of finding affordable homes.
 
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