Overnight parking ban for occupied motorhomes
City of Lincoln Council has announced that while all vehicles are welcome to use its car parks during the day and can be left unattended at night, overnight sleeping in vehicles will no longer be permitted.
This decision follows a risk assessment, which identified fire risks that cannot be effectively managed, alongside advice from the council’s Health & Safety Officer.
The Lawn car park, in particular, has seen a notable increase in motorhome and campervan usage in recent months. This decision aims to ensure the safety of all users.
Signage will be installed at The Lawn shortly, and enforcement action will be taken against anyone found sleeping overnight in their vehicle after November 25, 2024.
The Lawn car park lacks the necessary facilities for overnight stays, including waste disposal and sufficient space. Additionally, the fire risks associated with overnight vehicle stays cannot be managed effectively, making it unsafe to allow this activity.
Local councillors had received complaints from residents about misuse of waste bins and planting areas by those staying overnight in campervans.
Since May 2024, staff recorded 914 instances of campervans parking at The Lawn, with an average of 11 campervans per day. The size of these vehicles has also caused concern, as customers have expressed reluctance to park in spaces between campervans. This has the knock-on effect of reducing the useable space available in the car park.
The industry standard that has been adopted nationally is that a six-metre separation is required between vehicles in order to mitigate fire risk. Unfortunately, in a public car park, this is not possible.
To maintain parking capacity and comply with the risk assessment, new signage will be installed to make it clear that overnight stays are prohibited. Campervans can still park in the car parks, but they must not use these spaces to sleep in. This is also expected to reduce the misuse of bins and surrounding green areas.
For those seeking alternative overnight accommodation, campervan and motorhome parking is available at:
- Hartsholme Country Park – City of Lincoln Council
- Decoy Farm Lincoln – The Camping and Caravanning Club
Both sites are located in the south of the city and have bus links to the city centre. Please note that pre-booking at Hartsholme is required and cannot be done on the day.
Cllr Joshua Wells, Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council, said: "The safety of our residents and visitors is our top priority, which is why we’ve made the difficult decision to prohibit overnight sleeping in vehicles across our car parks. The growing number of campervans at The Lawn raised legitimate concerns around safety, parking capacity, and the misuse of facilities.
“It is essential that, as a council, we listen to the views and concerns of our residents and, where possible, address them. We believe this new approach will help ensure a safer, more efficient parking experience for all.
“We do not wish to deter motorhome users from visiting our beautiful city – Lincoln is not alone in facing this issue – but it is important they use the appropriate facilities located within the city when staying overnight.”