North Yorkshire Council to consider petition against motorhome overnight parking ban at Scarborough seafront

More than 1,100 residents and visitors have signed a petition urging North Yorkshire Council to repeal its experimental ban on the overnight parking of motorhomes on Royal Albert Drive in Scarborough.

The petition, which will be discussed by members of the Scarborough and Whitby area constituency committee on Thursday October 3, states: “The local businesses of this town need their trade.

“If you push the campervans out of town, then they will either avoid Scarborough altogether or spend less time and less money in the town and on the seafront.”

The trial ban will start on October 21 for the next 18 months between 11pm and 7am and includes Sandsend to Raithwaite, Osgodby Hill and Filey Road in Cayton Bay, as well as Royal Albert Drive in Scarborough, but the petition only addresses the last location.

The petition, which attracted signatures from more than 500 residents, also proposes turning parts of Royal Albert Drive “into an Aire and charging a modest amount per night up to three nights at a time”

It adds: “Enforce a ban on tents, fires, BBQs etc as they obviously belong on a campsite and make the parking accessible for decent-sized campers and RVs.”

However, the council said it had considered other options, including introducing a charge for overnight parking, but concluded that it would not alleviate the issues raised by residents.

Several campervan visitors have said they are not responsible for tents, fires, and littering that residents have complained about.

Officers acknowledged that “the camping includes an element of homelessness which is being regularly monitored by the Safer Communities team” but noted that fire safety was also a concern due to the proximity of parked campervans.

North Yorkshire Council has said that following an initial six-month consultation period the ban could be tweaked, made permanent, or even scrapped.

The executive member for highways, Coun Keane Duncan, said: “I think it’s important for us to underline that we are not waging war against campervans and motorhomes.

“We welcome them to our coastal communities and we don’t want them to be deterred but we also want them to come and visit in a managed, organised, and safe way and that is the guiding principle of what we’re trying to do.”

He added: “While I do agree that we should take the action that is being proposed, I’m also very much prepared for us to take further action to deal with the issues.”

Local businesses have also been advised that they can share their views on the effects of the scheme on their trading in the consultation which opens on October 21.

Members of the Scarborough and Whitby area committee have been recommended to note the petition and consider issuing an official response.