In the midst of significant issues with illegal parking in the vicinity of Bristol Airport, a Parking Action Plan Agreement has been announced in collaboration with North Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police Force.
The entities have been having regular meetings to tackle a range of parking issues in the local area, such as illegal offsite parking companies, unregulated meet and greet operators, and nuisance street parking. One example in 2025 involved illegal offsite operators parking over 1000 cars in fields during the summer, which had to be handled by the North Somerset Council.
During a parking surgery last month, forty actions were agreed upon with accountability and timeframes assigned to the relevant bodies. Stemming from the surgery, there are several outcomes in the pipeline, including the proposition of doubling the funding provided by the airport to support the Council’s planning enforcement team, new signage to enforce no stopping or waiting policies, expanding the airport’s one-hour free waiting zone capacity, and discussions with local taxi firms to remind them of parking policies and restrictions.
Additionally, a Parking Reporting Guide has been produced to assign responsibility to each organisation for different parking occurrences.
Bristol Airport has issued reminders to the public that public transport is recommended when travelling to the site, with a range of buses running from Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, and Bath, with more routes to be announced in the near future.
“It’s been vital that we work together with North Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police, as the only way to tackle parking issues is through a joined-up approach,” said Rob Henley, Transport Planning Manager at Bristol Airport. “We ask all customers who drive and taxi drivers to please be more considerate to the local community and not park outside homes. We recommend using our free waiting area rather than dropping off outside of people’s houses and in laybys. A complimentary bus runs regularly from this area to the terminal. We are working hard with everyone to find and deliver the best resolutions to make a real difference to local communities.”
Photo: Bristol Airport
