We are unwelcome in Woodbridge!!

[BooBooKing]

We recently had a few days on the lovely East Suffolk coast in our Vantage Sol. We stayed at Run Cottage which is 15 minutes outside Woodbridge. I'd heard it was a lovely town so googled "motorhome parking in Woodbridge" only to find that the Council has banned all motorhomes over 5.5 metres (ie most of us!) from using any council run carpark. A quick search showed that several motorhomes had been fined for doing so, even if they fit in between the painted lines, as we would, because no overhang onto grass is allowed. I made a complaint to the Council and pointed out that the town is losing income from visitors, but they basically replied with a cut and paste of the car parking rules. We visited Aldeburgh and Southwold instead, and spent money on lunch, dinner and shopping for gifts. I'd still like to see Woodbridge but I reckon they just don't deserve any motorhome's cash!

 

[Otter Spotter]

They don’t want it! So go elsewhere Simple’s int it

 

[ctc]

And some wonder why I prefer France.

 

[David and Sally]

Run Cottage is a great site

 

[BooBooKing]

Yes we agree , lovely site, very nice owners, and even a tame swan on the pond.

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[nicholsong]

Yes we agree , lovely site, very nice owners, and even a tame swan on the pond.

I always feel sad when I see a lone swan, because they mate for life so one presumes one has died/been killed.

 

[gus-lopez]

I always feel sad when I see a lone swan, because they mate for life so one presumes one has died/been killed.

ditto

 

[David and Sally]

ditto

We have a lone goose on our seasonal site lake. Yes, sad. The number of geese that fly over making a right racket and he/she sees the all off. Maybe he/she wants the quiet life?

 

[GJH]

A couple of points spring to mind.

First is that Aldeburgh and Southwold are in the same East Suffolk Council area as Woodbridge and there are two car parks within each of Aldeburgh and Southwold where motorhomes up to 8 metres can be parked (presumably two of those four were where the OP parked successfully).
That would indicate that East Suffolk Council isn't against allowing parking of larger motorhomes just for the sake of awkwardness but has a good reason for not allowing it in certain places.
I've never been to Woodbridge but looking on Google Maps it appears that the three East Suffolk Council car parks in the town are fairly small or awkwardly shaped, meaning that the manoeuvring of large vehicles, especially at busy times, might be difficult.
Theatre Street and Lime Kiln Quay appear to have no bays with grass to overhang. Deben car park does have a few spaces where there are areas of grass at the rear of the bays but the grass areas appear to be not all that wide.

Secondly, is it the case that most motorhomes are over 5.5 metres on length? Our Burstner (6.75 metres) was but our Autoquest 100 (5.36 metres) wasn't and I recall seeing plenty of different models of similar length.

 

[Coolcats]

We recently had a few days on the lovely East Suffolk coast in our Vantage Sol. We stayed at Run Cottage which is 15 minutes outside Woodbridge. I'd heard it was a lovely town so googled "motorhome parking in Woodbridge" only to find that the Council has banned all motorhomes over 5.5 metres (ie most of us!) from using any council run carpark. A quick search showed that several motorhomes had been fined for doing so, even if they fit in between the painted lines, as we would, because no overhang onto grass is allowed. I made a complaint to the Council and pointed out that the town is losing income from visitors, but they basically replied with a cut and paste of the car parking rules. We visited Aldeburgh and Southwold instead, and spent money on lunch, dinner and shopping for gifts. I'd still like to see Woodbridge but I reckon they just don't deserve any motorhome's cash!

Phew we are only 5.4 mtrs

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[Landy Andy]

The people who make the decisions don’t care. It won’t affect their oversize salaries. They prefer backhand cash, rather than think about the locals.

 

[Barti Ddu]

Had a lovely quiet night last year in Woodbridge, discreetly tucked up in the carpark by the disused windmill, after having spent the day in Sutton Hoo.

 

[Coolcats]

The people who make the decisions don’t care. It won’t affect their oversize salaries. They prefer backhand cash, rather than think about the locals.

You may think so, it’s always a bit tight to park in Woodbridge, there is the parking by the station even when we had our transporter it was tight in that car park the next one by the shops again is tight and neither car park is suitable for MoHo’s or larger vans / lorries so not surprising if longer vehicles being banned

 

[BooBooKing]

Interesting... I suppose we could always try and find an off street area to park for a few hours to try and have a look round. I did some reading and found that the East Suffolk Council had originally intended to ban motorhomes from all of the carparks in Suffolk but after lots of protestation from camp site owners and motorhomes they decided to allow 12 of their car parks to have some motorhome parking. Felixstowe anyone?! Oh and I think yes, most motorhomes are over 5.5metres, even though some panel vans are less than that. The campsite owner said motorhomes had previously parked in the Leisure centre car park area quite easily. The lone swan apparently landed in a storm last year, he's a Whooper Swan, and would have been travelling from Northerly climes down south for winter. He did look sad on his own though. I'm guessing not many single Whooper swan ladies fly over.

 

[Larrynwin]

When staying at Run Cottage we visited Shingle Street a beautiful shingle beach with the old beach house.

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[jongood]

Interesting... I suppose we could always try and find an off street area to park for a few hours to try and have a look round. I did some reading and found that the East Suffolk Council had originally intended to ban motorhomes from all of the carparks in Suffolk but after lots of protestation from camp site owners and motorhomes they decided to allow 12 of their car parks to have some motorhome parking. Felixstowe anyone?! Oh and I think yes, most motorhomes are over 5.5metres, even though some panel vans are less than that. The campsite owner said motorhomes had previously parked in the Leisure centre car park area quite easily. The lone swan apparently landed in a storm last year, he's a Whooper Swan, and would have been travelling from Northerly climes down south for winter. He did look sad on his own though. I'm guessing not many single Whooper swan ladies fly over.

Just book yourself a tunnel and spend the money in France, There are numerous aires in nice places without traveling far, and if you won't have hassle parking. you seriously wont look back.

And some wonder why I prefer France.

Me too.

 

[dryad]

what a shame, woodbridge is a lovely little town to enjoy and explore..
i remember a few years ago when i visited a friend who lived there we had quite a job to find a parking space for her little car, so glad i could leave my van up on her drive..

.

.

 

[GJH]

The people who make the decisions don’t care. It won’t affect their oversize salaries. They prefer backhand cash, rather than think about the locals.

That, if I may say so, is utter round objects.

Long standing members may remember that East Suffolk Council had problems several years ago with some motorhomers camping overnight where they shouldn't and damage occuring as a result. Instead of introducing a blanket ban they put a fair amount of work into trying to accommodate as many as they could in daytime car parks.

As an example, this is an extract from a message I received on 27 April 2009:
I hope you do not mind me approaching you on this subject following our previous correspondence as I am hoping you may be able to help?
As you’re aware Motorised Caravans are not permitted in many of Suffolk Coastal's car parks because the size and lack of manoeuvrability of the large ones means they can create a hazard for themselves and other car park users by restricting running lanes etc. We believe it is right that the larger one should be prevented from using many of our car parks, but we could do better for the users of smaller motorised caravans that don’t in reality create any more of a hazard than some vehicles that we do permit.
The current Order doesn’t discriminate between different types or sizes of motorised caravans and although 'the Order' definition is the one that matters legally, it would appear that there are numerous types/sizes of vehicles that fit into the ‘motorised caravan’ class. The current car park signs do clearly state if motorised caravans are or are not allowed, however, with regard to providing a good service, smaller motorised caravans being issued with ECN’s (that are often smaller than large 4X4’s or Vans that are permitted) can seem unfair and unreasonable.
We appreciate that Motorised Caravans are becoming more popular and it would appear that not infrequently the smaller Caravenette/Camper type is the only household vehicle, especially for disabled people who benefit from the additional space/accommodation that’s offered, therefore occasions when ECN's are issued is likely to increase unless we come up with a solution.
It is not really practical to expect the Inspectors to measure vehicles but really we would want to achieve a situation where they are allowed if they fit in a bay and are safe to manoeuvre but how can this be determined without entering the car park to find out? Do you have any ideas or maybe even know how other places handle this issue?

It was as a result of subsequent discussions (which also involved some other members of Fun) that the accommodation now available was made possible by pro-active work by council officers.

 

[Landy Andy]

That, if I may say so, is utter round objects.

You can say it, but where I live money talks and councillors are dirty, lazy, money taking people who are work shy. They prefer to see business go bust, high streets to shut, and even allow “travellers” in, and then build for them, where honest landowners aren’t allowed agricultural buildings.

 

[GJH]

You can say it, but where I live money talks and councillors are dirty, lazy, money taking people who are work shy. They prefer to see business go bust, high streets to shut, and even allow “travellers” in, and then build for them, where honest landowners aren’t allowed agricultural buildings.

If you have evidence of your councillors being dishonest then report it properly so that they can be prosecuted.
If they are merely not doing the job they were elected to then do something about it at the next election.

Please don't, though, allege that all council officers (who are the ones who are paid salaries, not the councillors) are dishonest when that is not the case.

By the way, shops in high streets shut because the companies which own them aren't making enough money, largely as a result of the move to Internet shopping, nothing to do with councils.

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[TDub49]

If you have evidence of your councillors being dishonest then report it properly so that they can be prosecuted.
If they are merely not doing the job they were elected to then do something about it at the next election.

Please don't, though, allege that all council officers (who are the ones who are paid salaries, not the councillors) are dishonest when that is not the case.

By the way, shops in high streets shut because the companies which own them aren't making enough money, largely as a result of the move to Internet shopping, nothing to do with councils.

Well said.

 

[cyberyacht]

I managed to squeeze my 6.4M Compactline into the Hamblin Road car Park behind the Co-op in Woodbridge. It was tight though.

 

[Nanniemate]

I always feel sad when I see a lone swan, because they mate for life so one presumes one has died/been killed.

Perhaps they have not met the right one yet . Or don't want all the baggage that comes with family and kids, mortgage,..

 

[iandsm]

You can say it, but where I live money talks and councillors are dirty, lazy, money taking people who are work shy. They prefer to see business go bust, high streets to shut, and even allow “travellers” in, and then build for them, where honest landowners aren’t allowed agricultural buildings.

Isn't that rather like the allegations that some people have made about motorhomes, that owners park where they like, empty toilets cassettes in the bushes, take water without permission, contribute nothing to local economy's, cause traffic chaos. etc etc. In other words, allegations that are not based of fact or first hand knowledge and are just inflated inaccurate and insulting generalisations ?

 

[Teddy B]

Woodbridge I agree don’t seem to want Motorhome Visitors.
Station car park plenty of empty spaces but unclear whether Motorhomes able to park. Checking the council website seems NO Motorhomes are not welcome there. Very disappointing!
I will contact them again myself.

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[GJH]

Woodbridge I agree don’t seem to want Motorhome Visitors.
Station car park plenty of empty spaces but unclear whether Motorhomes able to park. Checking the council website seems NO Motorhomes are not welcome there. Very disappointing!
I will contact them again myself.

You mustn't have looked in the right place. The parking order (PDF download linked from this page) states that Motor Caravans can park there so long as they fit wholly within a bay.

 

[BooBooKing]

yes but that means must be under 5.5metres, as NO overhang allowed at back. ie small vans, not most motorhomes.

 

[tony_g]

We tried to visit Woodbridge a while back and found exactly this problem with parking, so we tried to use the park and ride service, only to find height barriers barring our way. Very shortsighted policy. Not untypical in England, hence nearly all of our travels have been in the other side of the Channel.

 

[Gaston aires]

We recently had a few days on the lovely East Suffolk coast in our Vantage Sol. We stayed at Run Cottage which is 15 minutes outside Woodbridge. I'd heard it was a lovely town so googled "motorhome parking in Woodbridge" only to find that the Council has banned all motorhomes over 5.5 metres (ie most of us!) from using any council run carpark. A quick search showed that several motorhomes had been fined for doing so, even if they fit in between the painted lines, as we would, because no overhang onto grass is allowed. I made a complaint to the Council and pointed out that the town is losing income from visitors, but they basically replied with a cut and paste of the car parking rules. We visited Aldeburgh and Southwold instead, and spent money on lunch, dinner and shopping for gifts. I'd still like to see Woodbridge but I reckon they just don't deserve any motorhome's cash!

Woodbridge is very La di da. Always has been. Suffolk is so expensive now. Near to London and still quaint. Our town welcomes motorhomes and has an aire.
Phil

 

[TinaLes]

How about trying Brit Stops, or maybe just find a Bistro Pub with a large car park, and go in and ask if you can stay overnight, and enjoy some food & drinks.
The Unruly Pig, on The Oxford Road, just outside the town, would be on my try list to try, as its in the top 50 fine dining bistro pubs in the UK, expensive & unique, but deduct the cost of a CMC pitch these days for two, and you may well be on a winner.
LES

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