The Black Swan is a busy and famous pub in York with a small bed and breakfast upstairs. The pub has 20 space car parks shared between user groups. Four spaces are allocated for long term permit holders, three for bed and breakfast guests and three for staff parking. The other remaining ten spaces are for pub customers or visitors who pay for all-day parking. With pubs being popular and car parks being busy, every space is valuable and helps bring steady revenue for the owner.
Managing these 20 spaces has turned into a daily struggle for the owner. With different user groups and simple breakdown of space usage, managing it is difficult for the owners. Due to lack of systematic parking management, owners are fed up with managing payment methods and allocating spaces.
Also, people outside of these user groups misuse the space and park without permissions. So, paying customers sometimes use space reserved for permit holders, guests, customers or staff. On top of that, managing payments for visitor space takes up hours each week. The constant need to track the right people are parked, prevent unauthorised parking and sorting payments is a time-consuming and frustrating issue for owners.
An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system was installed to manage the space in car park. Operating 24/7 year-round, it records every vehicle entering or leaving and recognises the four permit spaces, three guest spaces, three staff spaces and remaining ten visitor bays.
The system automatically checks the number plates against an approved list of permit holders and staff members and only identifies vehicles parking without authorisation or payment. The implied monitoring enforces the rules without manual checks, protecting reserved spaces and reducing the owner’s time spent on resolving parking management.
Clear, professional signages were added throughout the car park after consultation with the owner to match the site’s needs. The new signs include tariff boards, entrance and enforcement notices, pay-and-stay instructions and permit holder information.
Each signage is designed for easy reading and full compliance with industry regulations, ensuring that visitors, guest and staff all understand the parking criteria at a glance.
We supplied an iPad with dedicated software so it can be confirmed whether a vehicle appears on the authorised user list. Authorised users have to enter their vehicle registration number on the iPad after entering the car park. We also set up a secure online portal that lets the owner update and manage this list at any time. The iPad, portal system, ANPR system work together; when the system detects a vehicle that is not on authorised list or hasn’t paid parking tariff, it records and identifies the breach and issues a parking charge notice.
The new system proved highly effective for the pub car park. Payments now run smoothly with no disputes, and unauthorised visitors no longer take reserved spaces. Each parking bay stays dedicated to its correct group- permit holders, guests, staff, or paying visitors- without confusion or overlap. The owner no longer faces the daily headache of chasing payments or checking vehicles, and the car park continues to earn full revenue without loss.