Park Active

Park Active is a new active travel scheme created by the British Parking Association which is being piloted in ten UK locations including Colchester.

The scheme allows people to leave their car at a Park Active location and then walk or cycle for the rest of their journey. In Colchester, motorists pay a discounted parking rate for doing so.

The main goals of the scheme are to:

• encourage people to use outer town centre car parks which are cheaper and more accessible
• encourage more active travel options such as cycling and walking to reach their destination
• free up central parking for short stay shoppers and blue badge holders
• help reduce congestion and improve air quality

How it works in Colchester

Motorists need to sign up to MiPermit to use Park Active and agree to the terms and conditions.

When motorists use the Park Active scheme at Butt Road car park, they pay for their parking stay using MiPermit to receive a discounted parking fee of just £0.50 per hour, for up to 4 hours, Monday to Saturday (6.00am to 6.00pm).

Motorists using the scheme at Napier Road (North and South) car parks can receive a discounted parking fee of just £0.50 for up to 1 hour and £2.00 for over 4 hours. 


They can then cycle or walk the rest of their journey.

Find out more about MiPermit

The Park Active pilot locations in Colchester include:

Butt Road Car Park 
MiPermit location number - 337827

Napier Road North Car Park
MiPermit location number - 337838

Napier Road South Car Park
MiPermit location number - 337841

Information about walking and cycling in Colchester can be found here.

Park Active membership terms and conditions:

On signing up for Park Active, members will be confirming that they:

• Will only use the discounted parking tariff in the spirit of the scheme
• Will contribute to future surveys linked to Park Active
• Agree to the use of their postcode and anonymised parking stay data to help us understand travel habits of the Park Active community

The scheme will run for an indefinite period and members will be kept up to date by email, as to any developments or additional key information. We intend to review the impact and success of the scheme throughout the pilot.

The discounted tariff may change or be withdrawn at short notice, however all members will be informed prior to any changes being made.

Enquire about Park Active

Find out more about the scheme on the Park Active website.

You can also email them: park-active@britishparking.co.uk.