Park Mark is the smart way to car park

The British Parking Association (BPA) launched a scheme in 2004 to promote best practice in the management of parking facilities. The Scheme, run by the BPA for the Association of Chief Police Officers, was developed to provide a benchmark standard for all parking areas across the UK, creating a safer environment for the public and their vehicles.

Car parks which meet the high standards set out in the scheme are given a Park Mark® Safer Parking Award which signals to motorists that the facility is of a particular standard and provides a safer parking environment for their vehicles. Thousands of car parks from all over the country have already achieved the award such as Claremont Road Car Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, The Victoria Centre in Llandudno, Conwy and the Crown & Anchor Way Car Park in Paignton, Devon.

In order to achieve a Park Mark Safer Parking Award, parking facilities must meet the requirements of a risk assessment conducted by the local Police authority. The parking operator must put in place stringent measures that help to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, and do everything they physically can to prevent crime and reduce the fear and likelihood of crime in their car parking facilities. 

Car parks granted the award can feature the distinctive Park Mark tick on their signage, so that drivers know exactly where to go for safe parking. Certain parking facilities that have received the Park Mark Safer Parking Award have also seen a drop in vehicle-related crime of over 80 percent. Car park operators across the UK are becoming increasingly aware of the Park Mark scheme and the benefits it brings to help prevent crime and boost confidence with residents and visitors. 

In January 2009, a shopping centre in the South East undertook a remarkable overhaul of its multi-storey car park to earn its first Park Mark Safer Parking Award and is now seeing what a difference achieving the all important ‘tick’ can make.

St George’s Shopping Centre in Gravesend, Kent is used by around 400,000 motorists a year and had a number of problems including being covered in graffiti, full of dark corners and generally being an unpleasant place to leave a car, or pass through on the way to the shops. Owners of the facility, Edinburgh House Estates embarked on a radical makeover which took two months to complete.  They focused on brightening the facility with fresh paint and enhanced lighting, and made parking spaces more accessible, to achieve accreditation in February 2009. 

Another local hub demonstrating parking best practice is Riverside Entertainment Centre, Norwich, which is run by X-Leisure. The management company was a member of the previous BPA scheme, Secured Car Parks, since 2004 and is now part of the Safer Parking Scheme. The facility is popular amongst the local community, especially during school holidays, and is located near the local railway station and leisure facilities.  X-Leisure recently passed its reassessment for the Park Mark Safer Parking Award by maintaining its high standards. There have only been two crime related incidents at the facility and in the ten years of operation there have been no vehicle thefts reported.