Using our car parks - FAQs

Paying to park

Why do I have to pay to park when it used to be free?

Although parking in some of our car parks used to be free, operating car parks still costs money and this was being subsidised by all Council Tax payers, regardless of whether they used the car parks or not. The Council was no longer able to afford to subsidise free parking without cutting other essential services.

How do I pay to park?

All our pay-and-display car parks have ticket machines which accept coins and contactless card payments. Purchase a ticket from the ticket machine and clearly display on the dashboard of your vehicle.

You can also by using the MiPermit parking app. MiPermit location codes are displayed in every car park. Purchase your parking using the app. There is no need to go to the ticket machine or display anything in your vehicle. A 10p convenience fee applies when paying to park via the MiPermit app.

Why am I charged a convenience fee when paying by app?

A small fee of 10p is charged when paying to park by app. This fee covers the convenience of cashless parking and the additional benefits it offers. For example, you can extend your parking session remotely, without needing to return to the car park and can also purchase multiple days, up to 7 days in advance. These facilities are not available at the ticket machine.

Paying by app is a facility available for your convenience. You can pay by card or coins at the ticket machine if you wish to avoid being charged the convenience fee.

When do the charges apply?

In Sudbury and Hadleigh, charges apply Monday to Saturday 8.00am to 6.00pm. Outside of these hours, parking is free. Parking is also free on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

In Lavenham, parking charges apply 7 days a week, 8.00am to 6.00pm, including Bank Holidays.

In Chelmondiston, parking charges apply 7 days a week, 9,00am to 5.00pm, including Bank Holidays.

I regularly use a car park. Can I buy a Season Ticket?

We offer a range of Season Tickets in our car parks. Buying a Season Ticket means you don’t need to pay to park daily. Season Tickets can be paid for monthly, quarterly or annually. Season Tickets are normally only available for ‘long-stay’ car parks however we do offer ‘Overnight’ Season Tickets in our ‘short-stay’ car parks (more information below). Find out more about Season Tickets

What is an Overnight Season Ticket?

All our car parks in Sudbury and Hadleigh are free between 6pm and 8am and all day on Sundays and Bank Holidays. We understand that some residents use our car parks to park overnight. To help, we offer an ‘Overnight Season Ticket’ that enables residents to park from 5.00pm until 9.00am. An ‘Overnight Season Ticket’ costs £9.50 a month and could save a resident up to £40 against purchasing two tickets every day. Find out more about Overnight Season Tickets

Why have you stopped issuing paper Season Tickets?

Digital Season Tickets have many benefits. These include:

• You can start a digital season ticket on the date of your choice - not just the first day of the month.
• You don't have to wait for the ticket to arrive in the post, before you can start using it
• You can change the vehicle registration covered by the season ticket at any time, and at no further cost.
• You can set your ticket to automatically renew, without having to reapply.
• A digital season ticket can't be lost, stolen or fall off the dashboard.
• Processing applications and then printing and posting paper season tickets is more expensive than digital season tickets. Digital season tickets are also better for the environment.

Do I have to pay to park if I am picking someone up or dropping someone off?

The parking restrictions in our car parks are controlled by Civil Enforcement Officers. Officers check that all parked vehicles have paid to park when they patrol the car parks. If a vehicle is parked without payment, the Officer will commence a 5-minute observation period during which the motorist is expected to have paid to park. If the vehicle remains in the car park after 5 minutes without payment, then a Penalty Charge Notice will be issued.

If you are entering a car park to simply drop off a passenger or pick someone up, you will only be in the car park a few minutes and will not have to pay however waiting in a car park without making payment is at the risk of the motorist.

Do I have to pay to park if I am dropping off my recycling?

The parking restrictions in our car parks are controlled by Civil Enforcement Officers. Officers check that all parked vehicles have paid to park when they patrol the car parks. If a vehicle is parked without payment, the Officer will commence a 5-minute observation period during which the motorist is expected to have paid to park. If the vehicle remains in the car park after 5 minutes without payment, then a Penalty Charge Notice will be issued.

If you are entering a car park to simply drop off your recycling, you will only be in the car park a few minutes and will not have to pay however waiting in a car park without making payment is at the risk of the motorist.

Why has the charging period been extended to include Saturday afternoons?

Saturdays are often the busiest days in our town centres and the car parks. Many of our ‘short stay’ car parks were at capacity, especially on Saturdays. By extending the charging period to include Saturday afternoons, we hope to free up spaces for those motorists who want to park to visit the shops and other businesses.

Do I have to pay to park if I am a volunteer or doing charity work?

There are many reasons why people need to park their car, whether it be for work, shopping, socialising or leisure. The huge scope of volunteering and charity work means that it is very difficult for the Council to administer, verify and evaluate good causes and provide free parking.

Some charities will reimburse volunteers for travel expenses so it could be worth asking the organisation your volunteer for.

Do I have to pay to park if I am a healthcare worker and need to to visit a patient?

Most local authorities provide parking permits for healthcare workers to park in Resident Parking Zones (on the street). This is because access to Residents Parking Zones is restricted to permit holders only so healthcare workers would not be able to gain access to see patients. Our neighbouring local authorities do not offer parking permits for car parks to healthcare workers, so we have adopted the same policy for consistency.

It is normal practice for healthcare workers to be able to claim for parking as part of their expenses so it may be worth discussing with your employer.

Do I have to pay to park to attend a place of worship?

There are many reasons why people need to park their car, whether it be for work, shopping, socialising, volunteering or attending a place of worship. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide free parking specifically for attending a place of worship.

What do I do if I have a large vehicle (or a vehicle with a trailer) and will take up two parking bays?

If your vehicle occupies two bays, you will need to buy a parking ticket for each of the bays. Display both tickets on the dashboard of your vehicle. Failure to do so may result in a Penalty Charge Notice being issued for being parked beyond the markings of a bay.

Short Stay Car Parks

Why are some car parks 'short stay'?

‘Short stay’ car parks are the closest to the town centre and are designated for shorter trips into town. Our ‘short stay’ car parks have a maximum stay of 4 hours and are designed to stimulate the local economy by enabling motorists to access a space and visit shops or other businesses. ‘Short stay’ car parks are a little more expensive to use because of their proximity to the town centre.

I work in town. Why can't I park all day in a 'short stay' car park?

‘Short stay’ car parks have a maximum stay of 4 hours and are designed to stimulate the local economy by enabling motorists to access a space and visit shops or other businesses. If we allowed motorists to park all day this would reduce the capacity of the car park and may prevent shoppers from being able to get to the shops.

Before charging was introduced in our short-stay car parks, parking was restricted to a maximum stay of 3 hours (within no return for a further 4 hours). Motorists were not permitted to park all day even when the car parks were free.

I live near a 'short stay' car park and do not have my own driveway. Why can't I park all day in the car park?

‘Short stay’ car parks have a maximum stay of 4 hours and are designed to stimulate the local economy by enabling motorists to access a space and visit shops or other businesses. If we allowed residents to park all day this would reduce the capacity of the car park and may prevent shoppers from being able to get to the shops.

Before charging was introduced in our short-stay car parks, parking was restricted to a maximum stay of 3 hours (within no return for a further 4 hours). Motorists were not permitted to park all day even when the car parks were free.

I do not have a driveway and parking in my street is congested. Can we have a Residents Permit Zone created?

On-street parking is managed by Suffolk County Council. Establishing new Residents Parking Zones is expensive and the County Council would require financial support to consider any proposals. Further information about Residents Parking Zones

Blue Badge parking

Do I have to pay to park if I am a Blue Badge holder?

Blue Badge holders can park for free for 3 hours. This applies to any bay, excluding bays reserved for other users (eg electric vehicles, taxis, coaches).

Do I need to get a ticket from the machine?

No, you don’t. Just display your Blue Badge and time clock, set to the time of your arrival.

How do I purchase additional time at the ticket machine if I need to park for longer than 3 hours?

Calculate how much additional time you require beyond the 3-hours free with a Blue Badge.

Purchase a ticket from the ticket machine for the additional time.

Display the ticket on your dashboard, next to your Blue Badge and time clock, set to the time of arrival.

The Enforcement Officer will add the time on the ticket to the 3-hours free parking provided by the Blue Badge.

Please note that some of our car parks are ‘short-stay’ with a maximum stay of 4-hours. When purchasing additional time, please be aware of any maximum stay rules in operation.

How do I purchase additional time using the MiPermit app?

Calculate when your 3-hours free parking provided by the Blue Badge will expire.

In the MiPermit app, purchase a stay that is scheduled to start when the Blue Badge 3-hours will expire. For example, if you park at 10.00am, your 3-hr free period will expire at 1.00pm. In the app, purchase a stay that will commence at 1.00pm for the required duration.

Remember to display your Blue Badge and time clock on the dashboard set to the time of arrival.

Please note that some of our car parks are ‘short-stay’ with a maximum stay of 4-hours. When purchasing additional time, please be aware of any maximum stay rules in operation.

If all the parking bays are full, can I park in an Electric Vehicle charging bay?

The Electric Vehicle charging bays are reserved for charging electric vehicles only. Any vehicle parked in an Electric Vehicle Bay must be charging.

It is important that these bays are available for EV drivers. They may be relying on being able to charge their vehicle to complete their journey.

The Council wants to help provide facilities for electric vehicle charging to help tackle the Climate Emergency. People need the confidence to know that electric vehicle charging facilities will be available when they need them.

Blue Badge holders are also permitted to park on single and double yellow lines in the street for up to 3 hours (providing that a loading restriction is not in operation).

Other parking questions

What should I do if I have a long vehicle and take up two parking bays?

If your vehicle occupies two bays, you will need to purchase two tickets from the machine. Display both tickets on the dashboard of your vehicle. Failure to do so may result in a Penalty Charge Notice being issued for 'parking beyond the bay markings'.

Do I have to pay to park when charging an Electric Vehicle?

Yes. Please purchase a relevant parking stay for your vehicle from the ticket machine or the MiPermit app. The payment for charging your vehicle only covers the electricity and does not include parking.

How do I report illegally parked vehicles?

On-street enforcement in Sudbury and Lavenham is conducted by West Suffolk Council (on behalf of Suffolk County Council). Report a parking problem

On-street enforcement in Hadleigh and Chelmondiston is conducted by Ipswich Borough Council (on behalf of Suffolk County Council). Report a parking problem