Surrey County Council have parking details/links for the county on their web site.
Elmbridge
On 11th September 2006, Elmbridge Borough Council provided the following information:
1. Height restrictions? 2.0m height restrictions are in place across a wide number of our car parks, especially those adjoining recreation grounds.
2. Requirements for parking within bay confines (including any requirement for purchasing two parking tickets where the length of a vehicle means that it overhangs a second bay at its rear)? Regrettably, for traffic management and safety reasons, only vehicles able to be accommodated in to a single marked bay (2.4m x 4.8m) are permitted to park in our town and village centre car parks.
3. Any provision of toilet and waste disposal facilities? There are toilet facilities within a few of our Car Park facilities: Hurst Park Car Park, Sadler's Ride, West Molesey; Torrington Lodge, off Hare Lane, Claygate; St Mary's Road Car Park, off Walton Road, East Molesey; Churchfields Car Park, Churchfield Road, Weybridge; Ashley Road Car Park, Thames Ditton etc; Hollyhedge Road Car Park, off Downside Bridge Road, Cobham; Cowey Sale Open Space, off Walton Lane, Walton on Thames.
4. Any provision of spaces specifically aimed at motorhomes and/or caravans? There are no spaces specifically aimed at motorhomes and/or caravans in any of our car parks.
5. Any provision for (or ban on) overnight parking? There is no provision for overnight parking, and many car parks are actively locked overnight, the times of which are detailed at the entrance to each car park.
6. Restricted access caused by narrow roads/entrances? There is no restricted access caused by especially narrow roads or road entrances.
On 10th March 2008, in response to a follow-up request, the council provided the following information:
Please refer to the Council's website (link below) for information on the parking facilities provided in Elmbridge. In answer to general points:
A standard parking bay in all our car parks is 2.4 m wide by 4.8 m long, I regret we cannot accommodate vehicles that cannot fit all wheels within these dimensions.
We have a maximum height in all of our car parks of 2.44m.
Overnight sleeping is not permitted in our car parks.
Elmbridge Borough Council have further details on their web site Here.
Epsom & Ewell
On 9th October 2006, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council provided a table of car parking information. This can be download in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format from here.
The Council also provided the following information:
This council does not operate any sites capable of accommodating overnight stops with the exception of two sites for travellers at Cox Lane in Ewell and Kiln Lane in Epsom.
We operate a number of off-street car parks, none of which provide toilet or waste disposals facilities.
There are no spaces aimed specifically at motor homes or caravans.
Vehicles are required to park within bay confines.
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council have further details on their web site Here.
Guildford
On 18th September 2006, Guildford Borough Council provided the following information:
All of Guildford Borough Council's relevant parking orders prohibit the use of car parks for sleeping, camping, eating or cooking. Overnight stops in motor homes are therefore prohibited.
With regard to on-street car parking, the main issue would be whether it would be possible to fit the motor home within the width of a bay. Bays are typically 1.8 to 2m wide and the order requires vehicles to park within the bay. The parking bays on-street in the town centre are restricted either to permit holders or to visitors without permits for a limited stay of between 0.5 hour and 2 hours. Further away from the centre, there are a number of 4-hour bays and outside of the town there are some unrestricted parking bays - but the vehicle must fit fully within the bay.
Off-street car parks have a height restriction of 1.83m and any vehicle must fit within a bay. Bays are between 2.2m and 2.4m wide and 4.8 to 5m long.
There are not specific waste disposal facilities in the car parks other than recycling facilities. The Bedford Road, Civic Hall and Farnham Road car parks have toilet facilities.
From the above it is clear that none of Guildford Borough Council's car parks are suitable for anything but the smallest motor home and there are no specific facilities provided for such vehicles.
It was noted from the council's web site that Guildford also has a number of park & ride sites but the answer appeared to be confined to Guildford town centre. It was also noted that other authorities provide parking facilities capable of accommodating motor homes at their park & ride sites in order to attract people to their towns. So, a message was sent by return asking if this was the case in Guildford.
Guildford Borough Council replied on 13th November 2006: Just to clarify the response of 18th September 2006. There is no special provision for motor homes in any car parks operated by this Council and that includes the car parks serving Park and Ride sites. We have great demand for the limited space we have, sorry not to be more accommodating.
On 22nd April 2008, in response to a follow-up request, the Council provided the following information:
The information above remains unchanged although information Here on the council's website may be useful.
Any motor home would be required to park wholly within a marked bay. Ordinarily these are 2.2-2.4m x 4.8-5m in size. It would not be permissible for any motor home or vehicle to straddle bays, thereby occupying 2 spaces. This being the case, the use of parking spaces would be dependent on the size of the motor home involved and, as such, the council is unable to provide precise figures as to whether they may or may not be used.
Overnight camping, sleeping and cooking and so on are not permitted in any of the Guildford Borough Council car parks.
Guildford Borough Council have further details on their web site Here.
Mole Valley
On 22nd September 2006, Mole Valley District Council provided the following information:
1. Restriction to Upper Levels of St Martins Walk CP, Dorking.
2. Vehicles must park within bay markings. There is no provision to park across markings.
3. No provision of toilet and waste disposal facilities.
4. No provision of spaces specifically aimed at motorhomes and/or caravans.
5. No ban on overnight parking, however HGVs and Lorries not allowed.
6. Restricted access (Narrow) to Church Street CP, Leatherhead.
On 28th April, 2008, in response to a follow-up request, the Council provided the following information:
1) No off-street daytime parking available for the parking of motorhomes
2) Please refer to previous details as are currently on your website. These have not changed.
The council is not able to officially give permission for overnight parking, and sleeping/eating would not be allowed.
Mole Valley District Council have further details on their web site Here.
Reigate & Banstead
On 8th September 2006, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council stated "Our "Off Street Parking Places Order" does not allow our car parks to be used for vehicles in excess of 30 cwt and most have height restriction of 6'6''. We do have overnight parking in Gloucester Road Car Park (Redhill, Surrey) after 6pm and before 8am for any larger vehicles and lorries, but not for sleeping in.". Details of parking in Reigate & Banstead can be found on the Council's web site Here.
Update 4 July 2007:
Some time after the initial reply from Reigate & Banstead Borough Council above it came to my notice that many other vehicles (e.g. large 4x4s) weigh in excess of 35 cwt (some of the largest 4x4s even being heavier than many motorhomes). A further request for information was sent to the council asking for clarification. The council responded as follows:
The Council's Off Street Car Parks Order is designed to prevent the car parks (except Gloucester Road, Redhill) being used by heavy goods vehicles and camper vans parking, which take up significantly more space within the car parks. The order also prevents camper vans and motorhomes from parking overnight.
I understand your comments that some popular 4 X 4 vehicles exceed the 35 cwt weight limit. However, the Council was not aware of this fact and has not issued any guidance to its parking attendants.
Currently the Council's Parking Attendants will issue a Penalty Charge Notice to vehicles parked over the bay marking (to large), however, if a 4X4 fits into the standard parking bay and they have purchased a pay and display voucher a ticket will not be issued simply because of the weight of the car.
The Council is currently reviewing its off street car parks order and has already identified a handful of changes to be made within the order. I personally think that if you are going to ask us to ticket these type of vehicles, I will need clarification and approval from the Council.
Runnymede
An officer of the council telephoned on 13th October 2006 to say that car parks in Runnymede tend to be laid out with spaces for cars and few can cater for larger vehicles, though Runnymede Pleasure Grounds Car Park has a grassed area which, naturally, has no bay markings. The Off Street Parking Order for the Council's public car parks states that no person shall use any part of a car park or any vehicle left in a car park for sleeping or camping or cooking.
Runnymede Borough Council has details of the car parks on its web site Here. Of the 25 car parks listed at the time of writing 10 have no height barriers - i.e. Chertsey Sainsburys, Chertsey Meads (A), Chertsey Meads (B), Coopers Hill, Egham Library, Addlestone Garfield Road, Virginia Water Memorial Gardens, Station Approach, Runnymede Pleasure Grounds Car Park, St. Jude's Road. The web site has plans of the car parks showing bay markings (or not) and also has location plans showing where the car parks can be found.
Users of this web site have provided the following information:
Runnymede
The large grass carpark on the bank of the River Thames at Runnymede has no height barrier. Not sure about overnight rules. About ¼ mile from there on the way to Staines is a cafe and large playground that has no barrier either. These are both on the A308. (Thanks to RL for supplying this information on 23 February 2007).
Spelthorne
On 5th September 2006, Spelthorne Council stated "All of the car parks in Spelthorne have 2 meter height restrictors, making them all unsuitable for motor homes, all have overnight parking restrictons".
On 30th January 2008, in response to a follow-up request, the Council stated "I can advise that the Council does not have any parking places available for motorhome parking".
Details of parking in Spelthorne can be found on the Council's web site Here.
Surrey Heath District
Surrey Heath Council (new window) have provided details of their car parks.
Tandridge
On 18th September 2006, Tandridge District Council provided the following information:
1. Height restrictions are set at 2m in each of the following car parks: Station Road, Whyteleafe; Godstone Road, Whyteleafe; Warlingham Green, Warlingham; Gun Pit Road, Lingfield; Woldingham Road, Woldingham.
2. All vehicles must park in marked bays in all surfaced car parks. Manor Park, and Godstone Road Whyteleafe are not surfaced. There are no provisions for more than 1 ticket to be purchased to cover the use of more than 1 bay by oversize vehicles.
3. Public toilets are located in: Ellice Road, Oxted; Station Road, Whyteleafe; and Whyteleafe Recreation Ground, Whyteleafe. There are no waste disposal facilities other than litter, or dog waste bins at any of our car parks.
4. No specific spaces for caravans/motorhomes.
5. No overnight parking is permitted under the current parking order.
6. All of our car parks have restrictions to access, either by way of height barriers, or by access road width.
On 27th March 2008, in response to a follow-up request, the council provided the following information:
I attach a copy of the Parking Order covering all twelve of our car parks. This Order comes into effect on 30th March 2008. You will see from this that all car parks have a height restriction of 2 metres. Para 4 of the Order states that “no person shall permit a vehicle to wait in that Parking Place unless it is of that class and it is wholly within a marked Parking Place”. Para 30 of the Order places restrictions on the use of a Parking Place, including banning sleeping, camping, eating, cooking or washing in a parking place or in a vehicle left in a parking place. The Parking Order can be download in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format from here.
Tandridge District Council have further details on their web site Here and Here.
Waverley
On 2nd October 2006, Waverley Borough Council provided the following information:
At the present time, all WBC car parks operate under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and, under clause 136(2) of that Act, there is a weight limit of 3050kg for Motor Cars using the car parks and the weight limit for goods vehicles is 1525kg.
The parking spaces in all but one car park are approximately 2.4 m wide and 4.8m long, the only exception being in Meadrow car park Godalming where there are 5 parking spaces for coaches or lorries.
There are no provisions for the parking of motorhomes/caravans/trailers in the Council's car parks.
Location plans of Waverley's car parks can be seen on the "car park maps" on our web site (see link below).
Also, under Part II clause 11 (2)(a) of the current Waverley Borough Council (Off-Street Parking Places) Order, "No person shall use any part of or any vehicle or appurtenance left in a parking place for sleeping or camping or cooking or washing purposes".
There are public toilets close to some of the town centre car parks but there are no facilities for waste disposal in any of these toilets nor is there any provision in any car park.
In addition, the car parks at Weydown Road and Tanners Lane Haslemere, Station Lane Milford and South Street Farnham have height restriction barriers.
Further details can be found on the Council's web site Here.
Woking
On 5th September 2006, Woking Council provided the information below. On 4th January 2008, in response to a follow-up request, the council confirmed that nothing had changed.
1) We have height restrictions of 2.1m in all our car parks except the surface car parks at Brewery Rd, Woking Park and Redding Way, Knaphill. The locations of all our car parks can be found on the Woking BC web site (see below). Use the A-Z of services and look under C for Car Parking and all the terms and conditions of use are set out, including location maps. Of the 3 parks mentioned above, Brewery Road is nearest to the town centre but overnight parking is only allowed in the Redding Way car park, which is free to use.
2) Brewery Road is our designated car park for coaches visiting the town centre and there is a designated coach parking area in the Woking Park car park (which serves the Woking Leisure Centre) so there are long bays available but if no long bays are available we do allow oversize vehicles to overhang normal bays while only purchasing a single ticket. The same applies on-street but obviously it would be preferable if drivers could only follow this course of action if no long bays were available.
3) The locations of all public toilets in the borough are available on the web site (see below)
4) We don't have any specific motorhome/caravan parking although the coach parking facilities referred to above would be suitable for oversize vehicles such as motorhomes.
5) Of the car parks without a height restriction only Redding Way allows overnight parking. Currently the others restrict payment to a maximum of a single day.
6) I don't have any information about restricted access on the road network as we only control off street parking although I would recommend that drivers of large vehicles avoid Woking town centre as many of the streets have limited width which might hamper the movement of large vehicles .
Further details can be found on the Council's web site Here.
Return to Motorhome Friendly and Unfriendly Parking home page.
Last updated: 8 May 2008