EXPLAINED - New Car Parking System At Market Place Shopping Centre

We're all creatures of habit, so when the Market Place Shopping Centre in Burgess Hill rolled out a new car parking system at the end of last week, it sent many residents into a spin, with a collective outcry of 'What Are The Rules?'



First, I must point out that the Market Place Shopping Centre Car Park is managed by the centre and NOT Mid Sussex District Council. Talk of the council being greedy, seeking to fine more people, is pointing the finger at an innocent party.

So, Market Place Shopping Centre have now installed ANPR (Automatic number-plate recognition) cameras at the entrance and exit of their car park, yet are still operating under a 'pay and display' system. It's a kinda hybrid of two systems, but isn't too difficult to understand - and in fact, you're a lot less likely to get fined under this system than the old one......if you follow our tips!



How Do I Buy A Ticket?
The new pay and display machines allow for payment by cash and by card - the previous machines were cash only. You can also pay over the phone, or by using the RingGo Car Parking App The car park's location code is '21559'

I Have To Input My Vehicle Registration Number Now?
Yes. There's a keypad to enter your reg number. Make sure you get it correct or a fine awaits you.



Do I Have To Display My Ticket?
The machines still dispense a ticket which you can display on your dashboard, but it's no longer mandatory. It's probably best to take it with you as a reminder of when your time expires

Are They Really Charging For Parking On Sundays Now?
No. This was an error on the new signage and will be amended shortly.

Can I Still Get An Hours Free Parking From Waitrose?
Currently the ticket machine does not print a duplicate, so you can take your sole ticket to Waitrose with you due to no longer being required to display the ticket in your window. Some people have reported taking a photo of their ticket on their phones, with this being enough proof for Waitrose to hand over 80p.



I'm A Blue Badge Holder, How Do I Register My Car / Carers Car For Exemption?
You can vist the Market Place Management Office (On the first floor) to inform them of your reg number and they can have it added to the parking system database as an exemption if you hold a valid blue badge. You can also call the team on 01444 230 362.

Market Place are due to meet with 'Smart Parking' imminently to discuss ways in which to make the registration process easier for blue badge holders. If you do happen to receive a fine, it will be cancelled if contested.

Can I Pop Into The Car Park Without Being Charged?
The current 'grace period' is a minimum of 10 minutes as set by the British Parking Association. This means you have time to pick someone up who is waiting with their shopping.

Will I Get Charged For Driving Straight Through The Car Park?
No, refer to the grace period above.



Do I have To Exit The Car Park Before My Ticket Expires?
Of course it's advisable to do this, but the 'grace' period comes into play, so if your parking is due to run out at 2pm, as long as you're out the car park by 2:09pm, you should be ok.

Can I Top Up My Parking Ticket?
This is an area without a firm answer as to how the sytem will deal with extended parking. Yes you can buy extra time without having to leave and re-enter the car park. However, it is not known if say, buying an extra hour of parking will be added to the end of your current expiry, or if it is applied from the time you make the extra purchase.

Example: Your enter the car park at 1pm and pay for two hours parking. At 2:15pm you decide you want to stay until 4pm so pay for another hour. The system *may* set your exit time at 3:15pm instead of 4pm.

I'm Late Back To My Car, Can I Top Up To Avoid The £100 Fine?
Although not 100% confirmed at this stage, It is absolutely worth you paying up extra before you leave the car park to cover the time you've gone over by. In fact, it *may* be possible to not pre-pay, just remember the time you entered the car park at the start of your day and make sure you pay for parking to cover the whole period when you return to your car, essentially making it 'pay on exit' - which is a much more flexible system than the old one.

***We'll confirm the last few points once we speak to our source again***

Spread the word! The Market Place Shopping Centre have a new car parking system

Got an opinion on this story? Leave a comment below.....
What do you think of the new car parking system? Will it put you off using the Market Place Shopping Centre or is it actually potentially more flexible? Have we missed off any questions you'd like answered?