Northern Area Plan 2016
Coleraine Borough: Portrush Parking

There are approximately 2560 parking spaces available for public use in Portrush, of which 850 (32%) are on-street. Many of these on-street spaces are unrestricted i.e. have no time limit applied to them, while those along Main Street & Eglinton Street are largely restricted to “1 hour in any 2 Hours” and are well used for short-stay parking. This level of parking provision is generally adequate to cope with the normal level of demand for most of the year, and for normal retail uses, but some restrictions operate on a seasonal basis over July and August, when pressure on parking spaces from tourists and day-trippers is highest. The Dunluce Avenue and Sandhill Drive areas remain the most popular parking destinations, even though most of the off-street car parks generally operate under capacity, in particular Landsdowne Car Park and East Strand car parks.

In accordance with the Department’s policy to cater primarily for shortstay parkers in town centres, the objective is to reduce the number of unrestricted spaces in Portrush. A more structured and effective enforcement and management regime, to include improved signage, will be put in place following the introduction of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE), which will also allow for the consideration of “Residents Parking” issues, for example along Kerr Street and Mark Street. Even if all proposed development materialises, there is unlikely be a shortfall in the overall parking capacity by the end of the Plan period, apart from a limited number of exceptional occasions. However, parking supply and demand will be regularly reviewed in the light of the implementation of these proposals and the effects of DPE, and action taken as appropriate.