Approval for permanent ban on overnight parking of campervans on North Yorkshire coast
An Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) was introduced in 2024 to restrict overnight parking
A BAN on the overnight parking of campervans on parts of the North Yorkshire coast will be made permanent, with further restrictions proposed.
An Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) was introduced in 2024 to restrict overnight parking at Sandsend, Royal Albert Drive, and Cayton Bay after North Yorkshire council said the number of motorhomes using the specified streets had reached an “unacceptable level” and followed increasing complaints from members of the public.
On Friday, March 27, the ban was made permanent by Cllr Malcolm Taylor, the executive member for highways and transport.
The ban will apply between 11pm and 7am in North Bay, Scarborough and the A174 to the south of Sandsend village.
The trial in Cayton Bay was abandoned after signs were repeatedly vandalised and thrown off a cliff.
Executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Malcolm Taylor, said: “The tourist economy in Scarborough and Whitby is vital to prosperity in the area, but we must try and strike the right balance between all road users.
“The trial ban on overnight parking was introduced following an increase in people going on holiday in motor caravans, spending long periods of time in the same place and often taking up several parking spaces.
“Along with the police, we receive complaints about anti-social behaviour, including reports of campfires and barbeques, leaving litter and defecating on the grass.”
According to Scarborough councillors, thousands of complaints have also been made by residents who are “waking up to campervans parked outside their windows” as a result of displacement from the ban.
Cllr Rich Maw, who represents Weaponness and Ramshill, recently said: “If the Royal Albert Drive ETRO is to become permanent, residents in affected streets – and that includes Holbeck Road, Esplanade Crescent, and Belvedere Road – must be properly considered.”
At Friday’s meeting, the council said it would start consultations on the introduction of further traffic regulation orders at “key residential locations” in Scarborough.
“These locations will be based on existing survey data and discussions with the local members,” officers said.
However, according to a council report, “it is not thought that any meaningful restrictions will be in place this calendar year”.
The Campaign for Real Aires (CAMpRA), which campaigns for the provision of European-style motorhome parking areas in the UK, said the banning of motorhomes from popular areas was counter-productive to local economies and the promotion of sustainable travel.
“We know there’s a huge audience of motorhome and campervan owners in the UK,” said Donald Macdonald, Founder and President of CAMpRA.
“But by continuing to refuse to explore options for places for them to park and simply banning them from towns and popular areas, they are being put off staying in this country and travelling to places where there are better facilities.
“We should be encouraging people who are travelling more sustainably, and doing so all year round, rather than doing the opposite.”
CAMpRA cited research by European organisations that it said demonstrated that motorhomes and campervans have “the lowest environmental impact when compared to other types of tourism that combine transport and accommodation”.
North Yorkshire Council said it was clear that the ETRO had succeeded in achieving its aims despite a large number of objections, the “vast majority of which did not relate to the reasons behind the ban”.