National park to trial parking cameras

ANPR cameras could be rolled out across the North York Moors National Park

The North York Moors National Park Authority is planning to introduce cameras in its car parks to stop motorists using them without paying.

The organisation will trial an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system at Newton-under-Roseberry, near Great Ayton, where almost one in five drivers fails to buy a ticket.

The system could be rolled out to other car parks if it proves a success.

Non-payment incidents at the car park near Roseberry Topping cost the authority £25,000, according to its commercial manager Lucas St John.

Mr St John said the percentage of people not paying for parking was on the rise.

He added: "We've got a position now where this isn't sustainable [...] the loss of revenue we're seeing at our locations and not having a mechanism to challenge this."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr St John said the authority was not looking to create additional revenue through issuing fines, but instead recover the cost of a ticket.

"We don't want to create an environment where those that are paying are subsidising those that aren't," he added.

Officers hope that as well as improving compliance, the cameras would reduce vandalism and anti-social behaviour at its car parks.

Thousands of pounds' worth of damage was caused to the Newton-under-Roseberry car park toilets at the weekend, the meeting heard.

North Yorkshire Police has been approached for comment.

A motion to trial the cameras for 12 months was passed. The meeting was told the authority expected to recoup the costs of installing the ANPR cameras within that time.

Councillor George Jabbour said the vote was "not driven by profit"

"Even if it was, averting losses and making sure we maximise value for the taxpayer is not a bad thing because from a reputational perspective we're trying to ensure fairness for all those who are assessing the national park."

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