Proposal for Amendments to Two Exeter Car Parks
City of Exeter (Civil Enforcement Off-Street Parking Place) Order 2014 (Amendment No.9) 2026 - Statement of Reasons
Introduction:
Exeter City Council would like to inform you of a new Parking Place Order resulting in changes being made to two car parks in Exeter;
- Cathedral & Quay car park
- Market Street car park.
We would like to give residents the opportunity to comment on the proposed amendments. For further information on changes being made for each car park please continue reading. You will have the opportunity to share any comments at the end.
Cathedral & Quay
Cathedral & Quay Car Park requires refurbishment. A fund has been negotiated and approved by the Council at an Executive meeting on June 22nd 2026 for this purpose. As a substantial number of issues were caused by anti-social behaviour, a new strategy has been developed to keep the car park up to standard after the refurbishment has been completed.
The refurbishment works are expected to take approximately 6-months to complete. The Council is committed to minimising disruption to car park users wherever possible. While the detailed phasing of the works is still being finalised, it is anticipated that the car park will be fully closed for approximately 3-months and will operate at a reduced capacity for the remaining 3-months. Further information on planned closures will be communicated in advance.
Key elements of the refurbishment and improvement plans are outlined below:
Change from Pay & Display to a ‘Pay on Foot’ Car Park
This includes changing the car park from Pay and Display to a ‘Pay on Foot’ car park, which means payment will be made on exit rather than when a vehicle is parked. To achieve this, there will be barriers in place to only allow those who intend to pay for their parking on exit to enter the car park.
Reasons for the change:
- To control any unauthorised access, reducing the likelihood of anti-social behaviour
- To enable customers to stay in the city without having to purchase a new ticket upon expiry
- To reduce the current revenue loss that arises from customers not paying for a parking ticket and evading enforcement
Addition of Security Staff
As this car park has experienced a substantial amount of anti-social behaviour the Council intend to have this car park attended by staff who are trained to Security Industry Authority (SIA) standards, in the same way the Community Safety Team within the city are. So, unlike standard car park attendants, the staff at Cathedral and Quay will be specifically trained to manage and respond to anti-social behaviour, helping to reduce incidents and minimise their impact.
Reasons for the change:
- To deter and deal with any anti-social behaviour issues that might arise once the car park is reopened
Increase to Parking Charge Period
This includes increasing the charging period from 8am - 6pm to 8am - 10pm.
Reasons for the change:
- To reduce the likelihood of anti-social behaviour from occurring as individuals will have a reduced time period in which they can congregate for free later in the evening
- To regularise and align the car park more closely with other multi-storey car parks (MSCPs) within the city centre
- To maximise potential revenue
Despite changes to the charging period, opening times will remain the same (Sunday to Thursday 7am - 8pm, and Friday & Saturday 7am - 11pm).
Change Cark Park from a Zone 2 to a Zone 1 Car Park
This includes changing the car park from a Zone 2 to a Zone 1 car park which will result in an increase in ticket prices. Please see below information on how this will impact ticket prices.
Reasons for the change:
- The additional revenue generated through the change in ticket prices will help offset the significant investments required to deliver the planned improvements and upgrade to the car park (which includes, but is not limited to, the addition of security staff, installation of barriers and pay-on-foot machines, structural and aesthetic improvements, etc)
| Zone 2 (current) | Zone 1 (proposed, post refurbishment) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Duration | Mon to Sat | Sun | Mon to Sat | Sun |
1 hrs | £2.20 | £2.20 | - | - |
2 hrs | £3.60 | £2.80 | £3.70 | £2.80 |
3 hrs | £4.80 | £3.60 | £4.80 | £3.60 |
4 hrs | £6.00 | £4.50 | £6.00 | £4.50 |
5 hrs | £7.20 | £5.40 | £7.20 | £5.40 |
6 hrs | - | - | £8.30 | £6.30 |
7 hrs | - | - | £9.50 | £7.20 |
All day | £11.80 | £10.50 | £13.90 | £10.50 |
Market Street
Market Street Car Park came back into Exeter City Council possession after the lease with National Car Parks (NCP) came to an end due to the company going into receivership.
It was decided to convert Market Street Car Park into being a Central Car Park for Exeter City Council. After conversion works have taken place, this car park should be able to provide:
- 72 standard parking spaces for motor vehicles that fit inside a standard parking bay and are under 1.9m in height
- A pay and display machine that can take card transactions or coin payments
- The option to pay via a parking digital payment service (e.g. RingGo)
The car park will be brought in line with the regulations of charging structure that apply to other central city centre car parks covered by the Council’s Parking Places Order. As a result, parking charges will be revised and applied in line with the Council’s standard Central Zone ticket rates. Details of the charges are below:
| Central Zone | ||
|---|---|---|
Duration | Mon to Sat | Sun |
2 hrs | £4.90 | £3.70 |
3 hrs | £6.00 | £4.50 |
4 hrs | £7.20 | £5.40 |
5 hrs | £8.40 | £6.20 |
6 hrs | £9.50 | £7.20 |
7 hrs | £10.70 | £8.00 |
All day | £19.30 | £14.50 |
While the digital parking payments offer car park users another option to pay, it is important to note that payment via a parking app (e.g. RingGo) will incur an additional 20p fee on top of the standard parking charge. This covers the cost of contracting a digital parking payment firm.
The car park will operate between 8.00am and 10.00pm every day. Except Christmas day when it will be closed like all the other car parks in the city.
This car park will be staffed full time between the working hours and secured at night to prevent anti-social behaviour resulting in damage or misuse of the premises.
There will also be a universal break room that Civil Enforcement officers and Community Safety Team can use for comfort breaks, while in the city centre area to help reduce the anti-social behaviour element around this car park.
Although the transfer of the car park to Exeter City Council will not increase overall parking capacity, the site plays a vital role in maintaining the availability of city centre parking. Its importance has increased following the loss of parking provision at Harlequins and Mary Arches car parks, which are currently being demolished.
Other Changes for 2026/2027
To make you aware, there are also some smaller changes that are being made to this year. We have become aware of some typographical errors in Schedule 1 of the Order. We will be correcting these so that the information in the Schedules to the Order is correct. These are as follows:
- To amend the 5-6hr tariff at John Lewis Car Park to state £9.50 in place of £9.450
- To amend the Sunday tariffs at Mary Arches Car Park to the Central Sunday Tariff Rates - for context, Mary Arches Car Park is a Central car park, but the Sunday tariff information in Schedule 1 of the Order is incorrect.
We will also be formally removing Harlequins Car Park from the Parking Places Order (i.e. from Exeter City Council's list of car parking assets). This is a formal process that must be legally completed because of the closure of Harlequins Car Park on Thursday June 25th 2026.
The Council will consider any comments submitted below by 01/10/2026
You can complete the comment form below
You can also comment in writing to the Head of Commercial Assets, Exeter City Council, Paris Street, Exeter EX1 1JJ or via email to carparks@exeter.gov.uk
