05/09/2026
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Humberston car park charging plan sparks backlash from MP and councillors
Plans by Haven Leisure to start charging for parking at St Anthony's Bank Car Park in Humberston have run into strong local opposition, even as councillors have given the green light to the physical infrastructure needed to enforce it.
The site, long used free of charge, would gain a height-restriction barrier, number-plate recognition cameras, and payment machines under proposals put to North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee this week. Haven says the changes are aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and stopping unauthorised overnight stays by campervans and similar vehicles.
Local MP Melanie Onn has started a petition opposing the charges, which has already gathered more than 850 signatures, and ward councillor Simon Taylor has written to Haven urging it to reconsider. Several planning committee members voiced discomfort with the move even while voting on it, with one calling the loss of free access "morally poor." Ultimately, though, councillors were only empowered to rule on whether the barrier, cameras, and signage were acceptable on planning grounds — not on the charging policy itself — and approved the infrastructure by four votes to three, with one abstention.
Nearly five dozen residents objected to the plans, and Humberston Village Council opposed them too. One objector questioned why a barrier as tall as 2.7 metres was needed at all. A representative for Haven told the committee the barrier's real purpose was to keep campervans out overnight, and that larger vehicles could still get in during the day by having it swung open.
The car park itself remains council property, leased long-term to Haven. Council leader Oliver Freeston has noted publicly that the lease doesn't include any clause barring Haven from introducing charges — meaning the council has no legal grounds to block the plan. Kiteboarders, paddleboarders, and night anglers will still be able to use the site as before.
Image: Credit to BBC News
