Date issued: 12 May 2020
Following the Government’s announcement that households in England will be able to drive to other destinations to exercise and spend time outdoors from Wednesday, Colchester Borough Council will reopen car parks at its parks and countryside sites on 13 May.
Under the latest Government guidelines, anyone visiting our parks and countryside sites and coastline should always follow social distancing rules and keep at least two metres away from members of other households.
As per the Government’s guidelines, all playgrounds and outdoor gyms, including those in our parks, will remain closed until further notice.
In car parks where charges apply, motorists are encouraged to make contactless payments through the MiPermit App, text messaging, online or by phone, using their own device. Further information, including ‘how-to’ guides, can be viewed at www.mipermit.com and in the car parks themselves.
Cash parking payments can still be made – however, motorists are encouraged to follow the Government’s advice on hand washing or using sanitiser gel, before and after handling cash.
For information about Colchester Borough Council’s car parks, all of which are open, please visit www.colchester.gov.uk/parking
Councillor Martin Goss, Portfolio Holder for Waste, Environment and Transportation, said: “Our beautiful parks and countryside spaces have proved to be invaluable places to local residents since lockdown began. The latest guidance permitting people to drive to places for outdoor activity, means that even more people will now be able to make use of our fantastic green spaces which will support their health and wellbeing.
“For everyone’s enjoyment and to help stop the spread of coronavirus, it’s incredibly important that anyone visiting our parks continues to adhere to social distancing rules and, where relevant, we would encourage contactless parking payments.
“We expect car parks to be very busy in the coming weeks and therefore to avoid congestion and queues and to help protect the environment, we would encourage those that are able to walk or cycle to these spaces to do so.”
For further information about the Council’s response to coronavirus please visit www.colchester.gov.uk/coronavrius
Page last reviewed: 12 May 2020