British Parking Awards 2009: Tewkesbury is Overall Award winner

Having scooped the Enforcement Team of the Year Award, Tewkesbury Borough Council went on to be named the Equita Overall Winner at the British Parking Awards 2009. The winners were revealed by Strictly Come Dancing star John Sergeant during a gala lunch held at The Dorchester on 6 March.

The Tewkesbury team's submission was one of the most dramatic. "Prior to taking over responsibility for decriminalised enforcement, the council's new Parking Services team found itself helping with the huge  relief programme in the town following the record-breaking floods that has made the news headlines,” says the council’s John Horsey. “But the team spirit wasn’t dampened. Just one year later the team is celebrating a massive turnaround in parking compliance and traffic flow within the main market towns of Tewkesbury, Winchcombe, Churchdown and Brockworth. A ‘One Year On’ health check undertaken by an independent consultant has demonstrated the scale of the success, which includes a turnaround of just two days for informal appeals and payment recovery rate approaching 80%.”

Karen Naylor, residents' advocate at Islington Council, was named IPP Parking Person of the Year. Her role sees her representing the views and concerns of residents, businesses and visitors to the north London borough when dealing with both new initiatives and dealing with parking problems.

Over 110 entries were received for the 2009 competition, of which around half were shortlisted across 12 different categories. Indeed, such was the interest in the The Civica Innovation Award that this was broken down into two separate awards. The one for technogical innovation which was won by Barbour Logic for software which produces replies to letters from people complaining about PCNs. The one for operational innovation was won by NCP Services for a scheme which gives civil enforcement officers arrested after often false complaints access to legal representation.

Innovative thinking was apparent in the design by architects Lyons+Sleeman+Hoare for a retail car park at Bicester Shopping Village. The Best New Car Park has a plan which creates two long decks that converage on the shopping area, leading to the car park being nicknamed The Trousers.

The Q-Park Refurbishment Award was picked up by Laser Special Projects for its work on revamping the 1970s-vintage Market car Park serving The Mall Arndale in Luton. A new category this year was the Best Surface Car Park, an accolade won Park for Truro, a park & ride scheme created by Cornwall County Council.

Another new award was the APCOA Living Streets Award, which was presented to the London Borough of Southwark and The Project Centre. This scheme saw loading and unloading arrangements improved along a busy London road, as well as reorganisation of bus lanes and pavement areas.

The Alpha Training Award was won by APCOA Parking for its "blended solution" to rolling out City & Guilds across the company in the wake of its merger with Central Parking System.

NCP's partnership with Manchester City Council was named Off-street Team of the Year for a scheme that has seen a greater use of mobile patrols — on bikes and in smartcars — coordinated by a state-of-the-art control room.

The business processing unit at Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutuions (ICES) was named Back Office Team of the Year. ICES's clients include Tewkesbury, the Overall Winner.

Full details of the 2009 awards will appear in the next edition of Parking Review. Images of the winners can be found at www.britishparkingawards.co.uk

 

The 2009 British Parking Award winners

1. Equita Overall Award Winner
Tewkesbury Borough Council

2. Alpha Parking Training Award
APCOA Parking: ‘Blended training’ solution  Winner
National Car Parks: ‘Full On’ strategy launch
Philips Collection Services: Philips Training Academy
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Highly commended
VINCI Park: Driving the learning journey

3. APCOA Living Streets Award
London Borough of Southwark & The Project Centre: The Walworth Road project Winner
The Parking Shop & Colchester Borough Council: Car park improvement signage

4. IPP Parking Person of the Year
Karen Naylor, residents’ advocate, Islington Council Winner
Sanjay Gohil, Q-Park Waterside, Sale
Graham Greenwood, CPE manager, Warwickshire County Council
Michelle McCluskey, team leader, APCOA Parking & Network Rail
Joe Skomorosky, car park patrol officer, Lincoln City Council Highly commended

5. Back Office Team of the Year Award
Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions: Business Processing Unit Winner
London Borough of Barnet: Barnet Parking Section
Cobalt Telephone Technologies: Operations team Highly commended
VINCI Park & Epping Forest District Council
Wandsworth Borough Council: Debt Recovery Team

6. Off-street Team of the Year Award
NCP Manchester Winner
CV One: Customer service assistants
Gunwharf Quays Management, Portsmouth Commended
Q-Park Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro
VINCI Park at BAA Gatwick Airport Highly commended

7. Enforcement Team of the Year Award
Tewkesbury Borough Council Winner
London Borough of Barnet: Barnet Parking Section Commended
London Borough of Hackney & APCOA Parking Highly Commended
JBW: Positive results for Fareham Borough Council
VINCI Park & Kingston-upon-Hull

8. Park Mark Exceptional Customer Service Award
Q-Park in Liverpool Winner
CV One: Customer services assistants Highly commended
Gunwharf Quays Management, Portsmouth
Legion Parking Services at the Barbican

9. The Parkeon Marketing Award
Notts Parking Partnership Winner
APCOA Parking: Lollipop Man
BAA: ‘Airport parking is a Pisa cake’ Highly commended
NCP Services: Streetlife
NCP Services: Worthing Blue Badge campaign

10. Best New Car Park Award
Lyons+Sleeman+Hoare Architects: Bicester Shopping Village Winner
BAA & NCP: MSCP5 Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport
Hammerson: Highcross John Lewis Car Park, Leicester
Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
Q-Park Liverpool ONE Highly Commended

11. Best Surface Car Park Award
Cornwall County Council: Park for Truro park & ride Winner
City & County of Swansea: Fforestfach park & ride Commended
Quadriga: Refurbishment of London Underground surface car parks

12. Q-Park Best Refurbishment Award
Laser Special Projects: Market Car Park, The Mall Arndale, Luton Winner
APCOA Parking: A new partner, a new lease of life - Bryanston St, London
BASF Construction Chemicals, Concrete Repairs and Macclesfield Borough Council: Jordangate, Macclesfield
NCP: London Focus sites Highly commended
USL StructureCare, ROK, Redleaf Shopping Centres & BASF Construction Chemicals: Ladysmith Centre, Ashton Under Lyne

13. Joined-up Thinking: The Civica Innovation Award - Technology
Barbour Logic: Response Master Winner
APCOA Parking: Always in touch (NeoNytro in Southwark)
BAA & Siemens: Car Finder at MSCP Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport
NCP Services: Headcams Highly commended
St Edmundbury Borough Council: ‘Island in a storm’ Commended

14. Joined-up Thinking: The Civica Innovation Award - Operations
NCP Services: CEO legal representation & support Winner
Alpha Parking: Traffic Order bureau service at Heathrow Airport
NCP Services: Psychometric testing for CEO recruitment
Q-Park: Creative initiatives for Q-Park in Sheffield
Town & City Parking: Disabled, parent & child spaces Highly commended
City of Westminster: Delivering change