# Motorhome parking - Whitstable



## brandywine (Aug 28, 2007)

For those that have spent time at the sea front at Tankerton, new signs have gone up.

"No motorhome parking from 6.30pm to 8.30am" all thanks due to Canterbury City Council.

Regards


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## andrewball1000 (Oct 16, 2009)

That is a great shame. Had a wonderful weekend there this summer and spent money in their community. Now I wont be able to.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

What a shame-- a little gem of a parking spot has gone then.
Is that right along all of the Slope -- I will check it out tomorrow.
Dont forget that Canterbury Park and Ride New Dover Road is a great spot for£2.50 per night.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Looking on another forum it was just one resident that has complained

The prohibition of motor home parking in Marine Crescent was requested by a resident. Following public consultation councillors at the Joint Transportation Board recommended that the prohibition was implemented and the City Council's Executive resolved to support the recommendation and implement the prohibition.

I know that our enforcement team and the Police are very aware of the issues that you refer to in Herne Bay and are doing what they can to address this.

Richard Jenkins
Senior Transportation Officer
Transportation Team
Canterbury City Council
Military Road
Canterbury
CT1 1YW

I had heard a rumour that only one man objected to M/Homes parking such a shame as cars park there and vans etc etc.
The times are really saying that there is no overnight parking by M/homes I will take photos tomorrow to show you the road is wide and there is an island of grass. Just think its a shame.
http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/kent/13912-wildcamping-tankerton-nr-whitstable-2.html

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh on reading more people parked for weeks always someone spoils it for the few that stick to a night


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

what????

I went down there on Saturday. To be fair, I arrived at 10.30am and left at 4.30pm.

But I saw no signs.

So how do they define "motohomes"???

Is it a legal sign????

Surely the road must have a yellow line and a legal restriction????

Please advise link.

And what if I were to go down there for a drink, and have more than one, so that I felt I could not drive home, so what am I supposed to do then???????????


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

locovan said:


> The prohibition of motor home parking in Marine Crescent was requested by a resident. Following public consultation councillors at the Joint Transportation Board recommended that the prohibition was implemented and the City Council's Executive resolved to support the recommendation and implement the prohibition.


I've been there 3 times.

Once with my Motorhomes Facts Friend Andrew, and we did notice, to be fair, that there were some motorhomes parked in a way that we would not have done.

Not to be snobby or anything, but I feel if you are going to park, you should not put out steps, or put things under your vehicle, or in anyway make it look like there is anything going on other than that there is a vehicle parked. There were one or two which did look what a snobby type might consider to be "unsavoury".

But otherwise, it seemed all fine. Even in the height of summer.

I am not sure that it is legal, unless they put yellow lines down with signs which say "between 1am and 3am not allowed" or something like that.

And as Andrew says, a real shame, because between us, and on the other occasions I have visited, we have spent money at the Oyster restaurant, various pubs in town, the Marine Hotel (just this weekend, as it is Chloe friendly).

Oh my oh my oh my.......


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

I would note that in the height of summer some motorhomes arrived between 9am and 10am on Sunday morning (presumably moved out of their paid for campsites) and left at 6pm in the evening

So did a number of cars, who had tents and tables and chairs and things. 

One can't help but wonder whether there is a concern about motorhomers being some kind of "travellers " aka "undesirables".

We need to dispell this. 

I, for one, am not an "undesirable". (At least, I find it hard to see how someone might think that about me!!!! or am I kidding myself?????)


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

I didnt have time to pop down there yesterday but I will go today.

We arrived at a School, a couple of years back, for a Rally and as we were settling in Police cars arrived and said there had been a complaint by a resident nearby that a load of travelers were arriving    
So yes we must look like that Heather :wink:


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

But I still don't understand - 

If it is a public road and there is no yellow line showing a parking restriction, then there is unrestricted parking. 

There was DEFINITELY no yellow line on Saturday. Have they painted one this week?

And yellow line restriction signs are time limit signs - they don't specific "motorhomes". 

Otherwise, they would need to paint parking bays and show signs like disabled parking only or max 4 hours etc. Again, they don't specific "motorhomes". 

The other alternative is Urban Clearways, which don't require road markings, but do require signs, and these will say when parking is not allowed. They can't specify "motorhomes". 

Right, I'm phoning the council.....


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

I've spoken to Canterbury City Council. 

Yes, they say that they have introduced signs.

Apparently they were up prior to me going there on Saturday - I didn't see them at all!!! 

The man says that the residents were complaining about motorhomes who were parked for weeks on end and they didn't like it. 

I explained to him that I don't drive my motorhome in the week and it's parked in Central London and doesn't move but no one complains - why were people complaining? He said that they were complaining because people were dumping rubbish illegally and making mess. I asked why they just didn't make dumping rubbish illegal, rather than penalise all people who just wanted to park overnight, but he just repeated that the local residents didn't like the motorhomes. 

Anyway, they have not painted any road markings, and he says that they went to court and got a traffic order, and the signs relate to motorhomes.

I asked him about the definition of a motorhome - eg if you park your Ford Transit van overnight is that banned? - he said, no as it's not a motorhome. He says it must be defined in the traffic order. But he didn't really know. 

I don't know how you are supposed to go looking for signs and everything I read on "fight your parking ticket" websites say that the road must either have a yellow line, a restricted parking bay, or be a controlled zone. But this restriction is none of these.

Of course, if you did park overnight, the worse thing that would happen is that you would get a parking ticket. Which you could pay, or you could go to court and say it was illegally given - which might be interesting! 

Anyway, he says it is just Marine Crescent, and that Marine Parade is fine and all other roads are fine. 

So I guess it's Marine Parade from now on, until that gets banned too!


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

watch out there is a yellow line and a restriction in front of the new Apartments they have built but only in front of these apartments.

Also dont forget this is Canterbury Council that have given us the best Aires In the country all for £2.50 per night. You can park at Tankerton Slope in the day and then go to the Aires for the night.


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

locovan said:


> watch out there is a yellow line and a restriction in front of the new Apartments they have built but only in front of these apartments.
> 
> Also dont forget this is Canterbury Council that have given us the best Aires In the country all for £2.50 per night. You can park at Tankerton Slope in the day and then go to the Aires for the night.


I really liked lying in bed in the morning, looking out the window, and seeing the sea!

In the summer evenings, it's lovely to have dinner on the sea front - I remember leaving for London at 8pm at night, after having had dinner. That won't be allowed now.

However, I can do this from Marine Parade, just as well as from Marine Crescent, so I'll just move up the road a bit.

I think the long termers were right at the end of Marine Crescent, where there is a big grass bit, and there were a few dodgy looking vans, so I can understand the complaints.

It's a shame we all get tarred with the same brush.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Heather

Well done!

Did you ask for the 'Traffic Order' referred to? If so what was the outcome?

It would be silly if someone had to use the FOI Act to obtain it.

Geoff


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

How many times over the past few years have we been at wonderful spots all over Europe, seen some idiot behavour by motorhome owners, and said to ourselves that the facility would be lost if people carried on like this. Lo and behold on the next visit that is exactly what has happened.

I don't know the answer but I think it pointless to keep blaming local authorities and their residents when it's clearly our own fault.


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/assets/transport/consolidation 2011/Whitstable Consolidation 2011.pdf

"caravan" has the same meaning as in Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, s 29(1) namely "any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer) and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted, but does not include (a) any railway rolling stock which is for the time on rails forming part of a railway system: or (b) a tent."

TABLE (Article 42) Prohibition of parking of caravans between 6.30pm and midnight and between midnight and 8.30am
MARINE CRESCENT Both For the entire length of the road, excluding the length outside 1a to 21 Marine Crescent and 46 to
60 Marine Crescent.

Those addresses are where Marine Crescent bends away from the sea. So you can park there, but you won't be facing the sea.

I still don't understand how parking signs with no yellow lines or restricted bays are legal, but hey.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

HeatherChloe said:


> locovan said:
> 
> 
> > watch out there is a yellow line and a restriction in front of the new Apartments they have built but only in front of these apartments.
> ...


I understand your love of the sea as thats why I live here in Seasalter :wink: 
In the New Year I will make a list where you can stay down here by the sea front and PM to you --dont want to many knowing :wink: :wink:


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## brandywine (Aug 28, 2007)

Just a quick update.

Sorry, forgot to mention that the signs are only in Marine Crescent so far.

On Marine Parade at the moment there are no specific motorhome restrictions.

Regards.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

brandywine said:


> Just a quick update.
> 
> Sorry, forgot to mention that the signs are only in Marine Crescent so far.
> 
> ...


Yes Motorhomes can be parked in Marine parade but there is restricted parking by the New Apartments they have built as they put one yellow line and a sign on a lampost as they dont want any parking of any vehicle in front of the New Apartments. We wondered when this might spread as there are rumors of Parking Meters being added

Infact there has been a lot of meetings about parking in Tankerton as they wanted to sell the big Car Park and that is what has sparked the meetings.


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

Mind you.... it's just a sign. The remedy for breach is to get a ticket. It's not the end of the world. 

I came back to Covent Garden the other day to find a massive minibus parked in the 24/7 residents bay. 

When I asked him whether he might move so that I could park, he declined.

When I explained it was a 24/7 residents bay his answer was: I don't see any cameras to catch me!


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