St Stephens Shopping centre Hull

St Stephen's Shopping Centre in Hull earns Park Mark Plus and Park Access Awards

The car park has demonstrated the highest quality services in both safety and accessibility

Managed by Churchill Services, the car park of St Stephen's Shopping Centre in Hull has received awards for security and accessibility, the Park Mark Plus award and the Park Access award. The two awards highlight a great commitment to accessibility and safety in parking; the former is part of the Safer Parking Scheme (SPS), a Police Crime Prevention Initiative that has been successfully reducing crime in car parks for two decades and the latter is a newer accreditation that aims to promote accessible and inclusive parking across the nation.

Building on the well-regarded Safer Parking Scheme’s Park Mark award, Park Mark Plus recognises only the highest quality car parks. Park Mark is the accredited logo of the Safer Parking Scheme, which is given to parking facilities that have achieved the requirements of a risk assessment conducted by the Police and the British Parking Association. Their assessments include management and maintenance of the facility, checking that there are appropriate levels of surveillance, lighting, signage, and cleanliness. All these are known to reduce the opportunity for crime and thus create a safer environment for the motorist and their vehicle.

The award of Park Mark Plus demonstrates that a facility provides police-approved accredited parking and has reached the standards of Park Access and a range of environmental, structural, operational and customer service criteria. Facilities that have received this award have seen a drop in vehicle-related crime of over 80%.

Park Access is a newer 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 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, bringing together the very best of two accreditations – the Disabled Parking Accreditation and People’s Parking Award – to become the UK's industry benchmark for accessible and inclusive parking and electric vehicle charging facilities.

Colin Sproats, BPA Area Manager said: “I am delighted that St Stephens Shopping Centre Hull has achieved the Park Mark Plus and Park Access awards, demonstrating their hard work and commitment to provide a safe environment for users.”

Eric Davies, Facilities Manager at Churchill Services, said: "We’re incredibly proud to have received both the Park Mark Plus and Park Access Awards—recognition that reflects the dedication and professionalism of our cleaning, security, and maintenance teams. Their commitment to maintaining a safe, clean, and welcoming environment plays a vital role in achieving these high standards. This achievement is a testament to their hard work and attention to detail every day."

Marc Dias, Designing Out Crime Officer, Humberside Police said "A well-deserved accreditation with the Park Mark Plus and Park Access awards. Its great to see a parking facility that provides that essential positive first impression to Hull, great for shopping in St Stephens, staying in nearby hotels and visiting the excellent Hull Truck Theatre. Your vehicle is probably your most valuable possession after your home, and it is so important to have peace of mind that there is a proactive security team watching over the car park, within a scheme monitored by the local police. The facility is spotlessly clean and a superb asset to Hull’s City Centre.”

 

For more information visit https://www.britishparking.co.uk/Schemes

To find Park Access awarded car parks visit www.parkmark.co.uk

Notes to editors

For more information please contact the BPA press office – email: media@britishparking.co.uk or visit our Newsroom.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. The Safer Parking Scheme is a national standard for UK car parks that have low crime and measures in place to ensure the safety of people and vehicles. A Park Mark is awarded to each car park that achieves the challenging standards. The distinctive Park Mark signage helps drivers find car parks where they can confidently leave their vehicle, knowing the environment is safer
  5. The BPA manages the Safer Parking Scheme on behalf of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives Ltd (Police-CPI) and with support from the Home Office and the Scottish Government. The BPA employs nine Area Managers to actively promote and manage the scheme throughout the UK.
  6. Police Crime Prevention Initiatives Ltd owns the police element of the project. Police CPI works alongside Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland to deliver the police element of the Safer Bus Station Scheme.