Park Access award for the Marlowes Shopping Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
The Marlowes shopping centre shares pride at receiving prestigious Park Access accreditation
The Marlowes shopping centre parking facilities in Hemel Hempstead town centre have been awarded the Park Access award.
Park Access® is a brand new accreditation that aims to become recognised throughout the whole of the UK for accessible and inclusive parking and electric vehicle charging facilities. Park Access will enable everyone, regardless of their accessibility needs, to identify car parks and facilities, such as EV charge points, that they can use with ease.
The Park Access accreditation is issued to parking facilities that pass a rigorous risk assessment conducted by the British Parking Association. This award recognises that the parking and driver facilities in place are accessible to all drivers regardless of their mobility needs. Park Access brings together the very best of two accreditations – the Disabled Parking Accreditation and People’s Parking Award to automatically become the UK's industry benchmark for accessible and inclusive parking and electric vehicle charging facilities.
Centre Manager Humphrey Mwanza said: “The entire Marlowes team are delighted to have been awarded the Park Access Accreditation for Accessible and inclusive parking from the British Parking Association. It is important that we cater for all our shoppers and provide the facilities and services that they need. We are continuously striving to improve our centre and hope that our customers find their visit to The Marlowes Shopping Centre a more enjoyable shopping experience"
Operations Manager Clare Benton said: “The Marlowes are delighted to be awarded Park Access Accreditation for Accessible and inclusive parking from the British Parking Association. The BPA recently visited and audited the Marlowes Shopping Centre to assess a range of services provided to our shoppers. As well as the number of disabled spaces that the centre has, which at 63 is above standard, the centre also has a shop-mobility scheme based within the car park for easy access. When paying for parking there is a bespoke payment kiosk based on the shop-mobility level. On entry into the centre, shoppers can expect to find a disabled changing area that includes a hoist, adjustable bed, adjustable sink, adjustable handrails and privacy screens. All facilities that those with a disability may require. Families are also well catered for with 75 parent and toddler parking bays throughout the car park.”
BPA Area Manager Antony Powell said: “I am delighted that the parking facilities at the Marlowes shopping centre in Hemel Hempstead have achieved the Park Access award. This accreditation demonstrates the hard work and commitment by the centre management team and all the other staff involved in the operation of the car park to provide excellent accessible facilities for visitors to the centre.”
For more information visit https://www.britishparking.co.uk/Schemes
To find Park Access awarded car parks visit www.parkmark.co.uk
Photo left to right:
- Operations Manager Clare Benton
- BPA Area Manager, Antony Powell
Notes to editors
For more information please contact the BPA press office – email: media@britishparking.co.uk or visit our Newsroom.
- The BPA is a not-for-profit membership association. We collaborate with our members and stakeholders so they can support their local communities by providing the parking services they need and improving compliance with parking rules and regulations.
- Park Access® is jointly owned by the BPA and Disabled Motoring UK and will be managed and administered by the BPA. The BPA has successfully assessed and awarded parking facilities with its acclaimed accreditations for 20 years. These include the coveted Park Mark® award, part of the Safer Parking Scheme owned by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI), as well as Park Mark Plus and Park Mark Freight.
- Disabled Motoring UK is a national membership charity fighting to improve personal mobility and access for all people with disabilities including drivers, passengers, Blue Badge holders, scooter, and wheelchair users. The charity represents disabled motorists across the whole of the United Kingdom and campaigns nationally on their behalf, acting as a platform to voice their concerns. It also works closely with other organisations to improve personal mobility and access to goods and services for people with disabilities.