Northern Area Plan 2016
Coleraine Borough: Portstewart Parking Issues

There are approximately 510 parking spaces available for public use in Portstewart, of which 294 (57%) are on-street. Many of these on-street spaces are unrestricted, that is have no time limit applied to them, while the Promenade and the Diamond 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 of these restrictions operate on a seasonal basis over July and August, when pressure on parking spaces from tourists and day-trippers is highest. The Promenade and the Crescent areas remain the most popular parking destinations, even though most of the off-street car parks generally operate under capacity, in particular Convention Car Park. This car park is used to capacity on only a few occasions a year. Recently introduced additional entry arrangements have increased its accessibility and use.

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 Portstewart. 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 the consideration of “Residents Parking” issues, for example along The Promenade. 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 on 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.