As any resident will be well aware, for the last 2 years there has been an abuse of the parking regulations by many campervans, with people sleeping overnight in locations not suitable for such vehicles (and a consequential amount of reported disposal of campervan waste in unsuitable areas). Sandsend Road has been one such location, with there regularly being 20+ campervans parked overnight contrary to signed restrictions. On Regatta Sunday 13th August there were 34 campervans (plus several transit vans) along Sandsend Road at 7am. This is in addition to the following being reported by Whitby Town Council “Abbey headland toilets were out of action by someone who had damaged the entrance gates and then blocked the whole facility by emptying multiple caravan toilets. Sandsend was raised as an issue with the number of vans using it as an overnight camping spot and then dumping toilets down drains“.
No apparent enforcement is carried out by North Yorkshire Council (NYC).
We notified NYC about such illegal parking on Abbey Headland car park.
The Whitby Abbey Headland car park is experiencing more and more camper van, tents and vans staying overnight, with people sleeping in the vehicles.
The issue brings with it anti social behaviour, rubbish being left and obviously safety issues, especially with people hooked up to large gas bottles for their power source.
All this, despite a sign (attached to this email) saying overnight sleeping in vehicles is prohibited.
Recently the sign has disappeared, are you aware of this? And also, do you intend to enforce the restrictions stated on the sign?
The response received from NYC was as follows (Parking.sca@northyorks.gov.uk).
The policy on motorhome parking is currently under review across the North Yorkshire Coast, your comments will be passed on for consideration during this process.
Regards
Parking services
They were subsequently pressed further on the details of this “consultation”.
This is currently with members of the Council to consider. Once a decision has been made this will be sent out for public consultation prior to implementation. As you may appreciate this is a lengthy process and this will be on the Council’s website and also public notices will be erected on site informing the public.
How long this review will take is unknown, but it has taken 2 years even to get to this point. We can only encourage everybody with concerns to email evidence in to the address above, in the hope that the elected representatives of this area will (one day) take action.
While you’re at it, send an email to your NYC councillor : Whitby West (Cllr Phillip Trumper), Whitby Streonshalh (Cllr Neil Swannick), Esk Valley and Coast (Cllr Clive Pearson), Danby and Mulgrave (Cllr David Chance).
Our policy is simple : campervans should only be parked overnight where there are suitable facilities available (paid for by the campervans), and where it is permitted. We are not against campervans, just against the inappropriate parking of them, and should they be parked in a location also for cars then they should pay appropriately to the space that they occupy.
