Will Seaton Carew parking charges return?

A further consultation event will be held this week to seek public feedback on experimental parking charges at Seaton Carew beach. They ran until the end of last month and are now subject to review.

Hartlepool Council introduced the charges earlier this year as part of a wider parking plan to help tackle a range of issues, including parking on pavements and on chevrons, which were impacting on businesses and compromising safety.

Some residents and businesses complained about the move, fearing it would deter visitors and affect business takings.

Motorists were charged £1 for up to 2 hours, £1.50 for up to 4 hours and £2 for all day in the Newburn Bridge, Rocket House and Coach Park car parks, on-street pay and display parking, resident-only and business parking permit schemes and free disc parking on the Front and in Seaton Park.

Three consultation events for local residents have already taken place and another is to be held on Wednesday (November 8) between 2pm and 6pm at Seaton Carew Social Club and Institute on Station Lane.

Changes implemented earlier in the year after the first consultation meeting included:

All pay and display charges were applied from 9am-6pm instead of 8am-8pm.

The parking areas on the residential side of The Front/The Cliff that were joint residents’ permit and pay and display bays became residents’ parking only.

The area on the east side of the road adjacent to the clock tower/bus station became additional permit parking for business only.

The on-street disc parking scheme on The Front was extended to allow free parking for 1 hour instead of 30 minutes.

The disc parking scheme in Seaton Park was extended to allow free parking for 2 hours instead of 1 hour.