Want to wake up on the Northumberland Coast without having to leave your campervan?
Now you can, after a pilot scheme for booking overnight motorhome stays went live earlier this month. Motorhomes will be able to stay for one night at three sites in the Northumberland Coast AONB : Links Road in Bamburgh, Amble Braid, and Beadnell overflow car parks.
In February, ChronicleLive reported that motorhomes would be allowed to park overnight at car parks after plans were approved by councillors with no objections. Previously, Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) did not allow for sleeping in parked vehicles overnight in Northumberland County Council' s off-street car parks across the county.
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Now, the TRO has been lifted for 20 individually numbered motorhome bays between 6pm to 8am at the three sites mentioned. However, in all remaining areas within the three car parks, sleeping will continue to be prohibited.
Users' motorhomes must also meet specific requirements, such as being self contained (It must include a toilet, washing facilities and on-board waste storage). The system will also prevent a booking for consecutive nights through the user being required to provide their vehicle registration.
Are you planning to use the pilot scheme to take a campervan holiday in Northumberland? Let us know in the comments below!
As well as the trial scheme, a new campsite has opened at Druridge Bay which allows campervans to park for £30 a night with an electrical pitch.
Councillor Jeff Watson, Cabinet Member for Tourism, said: "We know how much of an attraction our coastline is for visitors, and staying in motorhomes is becoming an increasingly popular way to visit our beautiful county. For some time we’ve been looking for the best way of improving the Council’s offering to tourists while also resolving concerns about inconsiderate motorhome parking – we appreciate it’s a fine balance.
"There can be fewer more spectacular places to wake up and watch the sunrise than Northumberland and we hope the scheme can be rolled out to other areas in time. The aim of the charge is to cover site set up costs and ongoing management of the pilot. We want to reassure residents we’ll be monitoring this closely - seeking feedback from motorhome organisations, parish councils and local stakeholders.
"We’ll also monitor complaint levels and enforcement officer feedback; as well as how many people are using the sites. All this information will help to inform any decision on implementing a scheme on a permanent basis."
A one night stay at one of the car parks involved in the trial costs £12. To book, click here.
