Brighton Marina is bringing in parking charges at its multistorey car park, bringing long term free parking there to an end.
Ticket machines have been installed at the car park in recent days, and the marina has now confirmed the charging will begin – and will be “the most competitive in Brighton”.
It says berth holders and eligible site employees will still be able to park for free, and it is negotiating with the David Lloyd gym for free parking for its members.
The Asda car park, which is managed separately by the supermarket, still has free parking for up to two hours.
A spokesperson for Brighton Marina said: “We are introducing a managed parking system to our multistorey car park to improve safety, security, and help fund ongoing maintenance.
“Free parking will remain available for berth holders and eligible site employees, and we are working closely with David Lloyd to secure free car park access for their members.
“Once introduced, the tariffs will make Brighton Marina the most competitively priced car park in the city.
“While we do not currently have a set date for implementation, we will confirm the start date and full details ahead of launch.”
This will effect all of the businesses in the marina, especially the smaller ones. In a market stacked against businesses this maybe the final straw. Think this is a mistake as even a small cost these days moves the needle. If the parking costs over £5 for 3-4 hours I can get a bus ticket to brighton and have more choice on food and entertainment.
I visit a prostitute in Brighton Marina because there are no parking charges….. not any longer… not on your nelly
What a shortsighted thing for them to do, we regularly visit the Marina for lunch due to the free parking, we will go elsewhere if this comes in so that will impact their businesses – pure greed. Given the decline in Cinema visitors as well this may be the end for them too. Plenty of places outside of Brighton and Hove where you can still park and eat for free so thats what we’ll be doing instead! Pity about the bowling though!!!
Well even less reason to go to the marina then! The only reason I ever go is because it’s quite easy to get to and there is plentiful pree parking. If there is no free parking then I might as well just get the bus to town and would have a far better range for eateries and activities – a dilapidated bowling alley isn’t really enough of a draw by itself…
What about if you are going to the cinema for multiple films?
Yep. One less place to go
Rip off Brighton
Even for the Sunday Bootfair?!
As if the Marina is not on its uppers already, businesses closing at a rate of knots and a ghost town over the winter. One disastrous decision after another.
Interestingly, there’s no mention of residents of Brighton Marina. Many have multiple cars, such is the nature of nuclear families these days, who have been historically directed to use the multistory car park of a weekend. Not enough guest permits are issued for residents to cover the full time, and these are only issued to owners, not renters by the Marina Authority, and seen to be defended by the Brighton Marina Association, so this news creates a big problem for people who live in Brighton Marina.
The final straw. The Marina has always been a white elephant for business owners. I will not be going again. Let me the other comments, I can get a free bus ride if to town where there is a lot more variety and n good eateries and shopping.
Another disgusting money grab by the council. Stopped going into Brighton years ago because of parking costs, but still use the Marina once a week or so for a couple of things down there – guess that will be stopping and businesses down there will lose even more income!!!
The car park is not owned by the council.
From what I understand Mr Hislop the freehold of Brighton Marina is owned by the Council, and leased to The Brighton Marina Company in 1980 for 125 years. The carpark is subleased to Landsec PLC.
Bye bye Marina… was nice to have you there. We already lost businesses there, guaranteed all trade will reduce and families have no where to go out without the mess of the town and parking charges.
Shortsighted as others have said, the free parking is what attracted people in the first place. The Odeon or Crawley’s Cineworld (that has IMAX and free parking) will benefit. The marina will die.
Capitalism , once again , biting the hand that feeds it .
Capitialism gives you car ownership!!!
I used to go Sea fishing on the charter boats I been every month for the last ten years on 8hr plus trips and used to carry tackle from the multi story to the boat threatening to charge for parking m means I can’t go sea fishing from Brighton and this means I will have to use another port that’s free parking poor charter boats are reliant on that parking for there customers
Will only be visiting Asda occasionally in future in the Marina unless popping into an occasional restaurant by bus or walking.
The free parking was the attraction for coming to the Marina instead of trying drive through town and that is what kept the businesses alive during the winter months when cold and windy and not so much on.
The death knell for the remaining shops apart from Asda.
Asada still free to park as long as you shop there
Even though it will be good value, it adds another point of friction to visitors and takes away probably the biggest reason you would visit the Marina over anywhere else in the city.
This must be the first step towards wanting the remaining businesses there to close for some reason. Perhaps the owners think the land currently used for entertainment and restaurants would be better used for more flats because there’s no way on earth any of the few businesses still open there would survive without the free parking. It’s dead enough down there as it is. You remove the one thing it has going for it and there’s nothing left to draw people in. Most of it is just generic chains so no great loss really but it’s a shame we will inevitably lose the bowling alley and cinema and I feel sorry for Bella Napoli which is a genuinely nice family run Italian.
To those of us on the east side the marina serves a purpose but there will be even less to do there if the drivers stop coming so it won’t even serve locals who can walk or cycle because there’ll be nothing open to make a visit worthwhile.
I did some digging into their financial records taking into account the subsidiaries. Financial necessity is certainly not demonstrated. The parent company has substantial liquid assets that cover everything five times over with nearly £2.6 million in cash available and making £3.3 million in profits over lifetime figures, according to their latest reports.
APCOA’s website is already showing parking charges of £1/hr for Brighton Marina multi-storey car park.
https://www.apcoa.co.uk/find-parking/locations/brighton/brighton-marina-mscp
They’ll have to make their signage much clearer when the Level 2 exit is flooded as drivers regulary get lost/stuck when trying to find their way out of Level 7 as it’s very confusing on finding your way out if you’re unfamiliar with the car park.
Like the others have said, this is pure greed and will see the businesses and residents suffer on the Marina and likely lead to its demise.
2 hours free parking after that charge ir businesses will suffer. The marina is a ghost town as it is.
2 hours is not long enough for most movies, and certainly not dinner and a movie, which presumably informed the 4 hours.
Chichester offers i think 4 hours plus an extension if you go to the cinema or bowling.
I’ve been parking freely in the marina for many, many years and have enjoyed the restaurants, shops, cinema etc but if the parking is not free then I will not be visiting the marina at all. Will look at visiting other towns.
Next the cinema will close because no one can afford parking and cinema and forget food. Do these people think we have money trees or something.
Did some more digging, and I found that one of the clauses on the headlease potentially requires council to approve any changes to parking charges.
Potentially?
I’m not a lawyer, sir, but the wording on it seems to suggest so. For example, take this bit:
“To keep all those car parking spaces upon the demised property which are intended for the use of the general public at a reasonable scale of charges to be agreed by the Council.”
Potentially provides an opportunity to consider parking across the Marina as a whole, and there also seems to be provisions in the wording to create variations in the lease contract to do so, at least, how I’m interpreting it.
The best thing about the Marina is stopping. I will no longer be visiting.
This will destroy many of the businesses in the marina , stupid idea
Only reason I came to Marina was free parking. Will be using another town or using the bus as cheaper into town.
Just another nail on that coffin
The Marina looks sooo dying ..
This will just finish it off.
Free parking is an stimulation to shoppers to go and spend which turns into an active economy, more taxes, employment and HAPPY people.
Cities with higher levels of unemployment & less businesses have the highest levels of depression.
Look at Churchill Square. What reasonable mind believes people SHOULD PAY to go and spend???
So sad, seeing our city fading away so sharply because the hate to motorists & BUSINESSES
Bella Napoli is the best Italian restaurant in Brighton and has been for over 30 years. How will they survive with even less footfall?
I’m still saddened that Casa Brasil is no longer there, sir. I loved their BBQ’d pineapple with cinnamon…
Fair enough, makes sense as nothing is free in life. There is always a very regular bus service to and from there of people don’t want to pay for parking.
Gutted as I use the cinema each week.
Yes, I wish it is free. But I think if they djd 20p or 50p an hour, they would get away with. And it would not affect the amount of people turning up to the cinema.
I hope the come up with a better plan with the West car park exit is closed.
Twice last week I was stuck on level 3 and 4 for over 30 mins each. As there was too much traffic going up as down
This hasn’t been thought through at all regarding the impact upon businesses in the marina. It’s been somewhat of a ghost town for many years with shops and restaurants opening and closing, and this charge may be the death knell for the.marina. It was poorly designed in the first place, but given some decent promotion and the attraction of free parking I feel that the marina would still have potential. But this parking charge will signal the end for many businesses. How short sightrd!
We were going to buy a Waterlodge in the marina but all the stories of the money grabbing owners who have already forced the closure of most of the marina eateries put us off. This might mean the death knell for local businesses. Shame but this on top of Brighton’s hate of the motorist spells the beginning of the end
I could understand if the marina was worth visiting.. Its now getting very dire and not worth visiting anymore. In fact I havent visited for years.
Big mistake….massive mistake.
I feel for businesses and worry it will kill many more in a struggling world.
Going bowling or cinema and meal then becomes more expensive.
And popping to the Sunday market will stop for many as a nice outing has added expense ypu would have bought something from a seller, that will affect them.
Greedy people and cities kill off visitors because of parking.
The free carpark is THE ONLY reason to go to Brighton Marina.
I hope they will change their mind.
While I totally see peoples upset at another place where parking charges are being introduced, looking at it from the other side, you have a large reinforced concrete structure that is right next to a salt air environment and requires maintenance, if there isn’t some form of nominal charge (and I think someone has pointed out that its showing on APCOA’s website as £1/Hr), at least they’re trying to be reasonable in the charges. To maintain and do routine repairs to a structure like this must cost a reasonable amount, so looking from the other side of the coin, the owners/subletters have to do something to avoid being out of pocket, just putting it out there for thought…
They get money from the businesses that will now close…
A kick in the teeth for the Samurai Centre who are moving from new England Street this month.
Free parking brings a lot of trade for hospitality outlets and the last thing they need is this. With cinemas already struggling this could well finish Cineworld in the Marina. I very much doubt any of the onsite traders are in favour of this.
I don’t have a smart phone so can’t use the app to pay. Can you still pay at the machine. I guess no cash?
The main reason why people come to the marina is the free parking for the cinema shops restaurants etc
Once there’s a parking charge there will be no reason to come and the businesses will struggle and some will sadly fail
This decision really needs to be reconsidered
Hardly anything left worth going too turned into a bit of a dump. Massive Antisocial behavior at night. Not a safe place to visit
They don’t give a damn what happens to the businesses as long as there is money to make turning marina into a ghost town, cinema, bowling and the rest will suffer, the as hol on top making those decisions really need a brain replacement, his pockets is full, maybe it’s 1of those who can’t speak English, well let’s c the end result
Its worked fine for years.it will kill off the sunday boot fairs.and the weatherspoons it takes me only 15 to 20 mins in a car.by bus freezing and wet through no thank you