Ayrshire Roads Alliance, in partnership with South Ayrshire Council, is promoting Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders for the provision of dedicated motorhome/campervan spaces with associated on-street parking restrictions at the Esplanade Car Park Ayr, and the Knockcushan Street Car Park Girvan.

The trial scheme will start 14 May 2021 and run until 30 September 2021. 

Esplanade Car Park, Ayr and Knockcushan Street Car Park, Girvan 

Why are we doing this?

In 2020 South Ayrshire shorefront locations in Troon, Prestwick, Ayr, Maidens, Girvan and Ballantrae experienced a significant increase in visitor parking largely due to Government restrictions on foreign travel and the resultant trend towards ‘staycations’ by motorhome drivers.

Urgent action is required to help regulate parking in order to better manage car park facilities, and deal with indiscriminate on-street parking (especially in residential areas) which ensures the promotion of road safety and addresses residents’ concerns while still encouraging tourism.

What is the core rationale?

The provision of a limited number of designated motorhome bays at the two locations subject to the trial scheme are intended to cater for tourists who wish to stop off en-route to other destinations, or those who arrive in advance of a visit to many of the visitor attractions on offer throughout Ayrshire.

These facilities are not intended for long-term parking and have not been set up in competition with the established private campsites.

Who can use the dedicated motorhome bays?

The bays are for the sole use of motorhome/campervan style vehicles. These are defined by the DVLA as “motor caravans” with the meaning “a special purpose M category vehicle constructed to include living accommodation which contains at least; seats and a table, sleeping accommodation which may be converted from the seats, cooking facilities, storage facilities”.

Dedicated bays

Esplanade Car Park, Ayr

Knockcushan Street Car park, Girvan

Caravans are not permitted in the bays.

How long can I stay?

Only one overnight stay is permitted i.e. drivers cannot return to the same site within 24 hours of departure.

Payment must be made to cover stays between 6pm and 9am and parking outwith these times is free.

Therefore, in practice this means that the driver of a permitted vehicle may take up position at 9am, stay the day and then, on making the appropriate payment, stay the night.

They would not then need to vacate the space until 6pm the following evening.

If they attempt to make payment for the following night the system will prevent them from doing so.

How will the scheme be monitored and enforced?

Parking Attendants will regularly patrol the car parks and surrounding streets. Special patrols will take place later into the evening and also early morning to ensure compliance.

Drivers who haven’t paid the appropriate fee or are found to be illegally parked in any other part of the car park or surrounding streets, will be served with a penalty charge notice for the relevant offence.

What facilities are on offer?

At the Esplanade Car Park, Ayr provision will be made for the collection of chemical and general waste. Water will also be made available for non-drinking purposes.

At the Knockcushan Street Car Park, Girvan similar facilities will be made available along with the provision of access codes for existing on site toilet and washroom facilities.

How much will it cost, how do I make payment and can I book in advance?

The cost for one overnight parking session is a flat rate of £5.00. Payment should be made via the cashless parking system using the contact information provided on nearby  signage.

The existing system is provided and managed on the Council’s behalf by RingGo.

You can set up an account which will allow you to make quick and easy payments over the phone, or by using a smartphone application. This is a user friendly system and it only takes a few minutes to set up a new account.

We are not able to physically reserve spaces, which means that you cannot book a space in advance. Therefore, please don’t pay until you have arrived and secured an available space

Will this trial push motorhomes out into the surrounding streets?

We have identified streets in the surrounding areas where there is potential for motorhomes to park.

To help combat this, we will introduce further temporary restrictions on the Esplanade, Ayr and Knockcushan Street, Louisa Drive and Harbour Street in Girvan. 

This will make motorhome parking illegal between the hours of 9pm and 9am in these areas.

Should issues arise in any other streets we will extend these arrangements as necessary.

Why have you chosen these two car parks for the trial scheme?

Both trial sites have generated the highest volume of complaints about long term, unregulated, overnight parking by a range of vehicles.

Therefore, it was  our priority to address the concerns at these locations as soon as possible.

Will other sites be considered for inclusion?

Other locations, such as the shorefront car parks in Prestwick and Troon, are currently excluded from the scheme and no overnight parking will be permitted at the locations.

However, depending on the results of the trial scheme, additional sites may be considered for any future scheme and we will refer this to South Ayrshire Council for consideration.

There are a number of restrictions that already apply to the car parks, these are listed below:

• No parking of trailers or caravans separately from their motor vehicles without written permission of a person duly authorised by the Council;
• No camping, washing crockery, cutlery, clothing or any other articles whatsoever outside of permitted vehicles using permitted bays;
• No sounding of any horn on a vehicle, use of any auxiliary motor or generator, shouting, operation of a radio, loudspeaker, or any other similar instrument or otherwise make any loud noise to the disturbance or annoyance of users of the parking place or residents or occupiers of premises in the neighbourhood;
• No line, cable, tent, booth, stand, building or other structure to be erected without written permission of a person duly authorised by the Council to give such permission;

No driving of any motor vehicle around such parking place unnecessarily, recklessly, erratically, dangerously, or play any game or sport involving motor vehicles, motor sport or motor trials.