Report airport related car parking issues
What to do if nuisance parking in residential areas around Stansted Airport is affecting you.
We know many residents who live in areas close to the airport are concerned about people misusing residential or on-street parking in order to park for the airport.
There is no easy solution to this problem but on behalf of all the agencies with duties in this area we have put together this guidance to help you understand what, if anything, can be done and how you can report it.
Parking in contravention of traffic restrictions
If you see a vehicle breaching a parking restriction, such as on yellow lines or in resident parking bays, you can report this to the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) who manage on-street parking for Essex County Council.
See a list of all the most common types of parking restrictions on the NEPP website.
How to report it
You can report a vehicle breaching a parking restriction online to NEPP.
NEPP will send an enforcement officer to the location.
Illegal parking
A vehicle is illegally parked if it is:
- on zig zag lines
- left in a place that may be dangerous to other road users or pedestrians
- in a way that would prevent emergency vehicles from accessing
Parking illegally is classed as anti-social behaviour.
How to report it
You should report illegal parking to Essex Police online or by calling 101.
Paid airport parking on private driveways
Renting out your driveway is legal if:
- you own the property yourself
- you have written permission from the landlord or property owner
Renting out a driveway is not considered a material change of use of the land and therefore does not require planning permission.
If you believe there is an excessive number of vehicles on the land it may be being used as an unauthorised off airport car park.
Unauthorised off airport car parks
Unauthorised off airport parking might include having vehicles on areas of private land such as:
- fields
- commercial premises
- farmyards
If you think someone is using privately owned land for unauthorised off airport parking you can report it to our Planning Enforcement Team to investigate.
How to report it
Report possible unauthorised off airport parking to our Planning Enforcement Team.
If you report unauthorised parking to us we will keep your details confidential.
What we will do
When we receive a report of suspected unauthorised off airport parking we will review it to ensure that:
- an investigation is required
- there is sufficient information for us to to act on
If there isn't enough information we will contact you for further information.
How we investigate
Our Planning Enforcement Policy (PDF) [270KB] tells you how we might carry out an investigation into alleged unauthorised parking activities.
We will often make multiple site visits in airport parking cases to view the scale of the operation.
Abandoned vehicles on a public road
Before you report an abandoned vehicle you will need to check if the vehicle is taxed on the DVLA website.
We are not able to remove a vehicle if it is taxed.
Abandoning a vehicle is a criminal offence which could result in a fixed penatly notice of up to £200 or a criminal conviction and a court fine not exceeding £2,500.
How to report it
Report an untaxed abandoned vehicle to us.
How we investigate
Once we have been told that a vehicle appears to be abandoned the information will be passed to an enforcement officer. An officer will review the information and decide whether the vehicle has been abandoned or not.
On-street parking on streets with no parking restrictions
If there are no parking restrictions then there are no powers to move vehicles on.
See a list of all the most common types of parking restrictions on the NEPP website.
What to do
We suggest that you raise the issue with your town or parish council to see whether this is an ongoing problem.
If there is an ongoing problem and there is enough local support, your town or parish council can propose a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to introduce parking restrictions. Find out about TROs on the Essex Highways website.
Bear in mind that any parking restrictions that are introduced will apply to all vehicles not just those suspected of parking for the airport.
Your town or parish council will need to apply for any new parking restrictions through the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP).
Report an on-street parking issue to Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport Limited has an online form that you can use to report suspected on-street airport related car parking.
⚠ Do not use this form to report an urgent issue. The airport only uses this data for monitoring and to help develop policies.
You can report an airport related on-street car parking issue using the form on the Stansted Area Transport Forum website.
Before you start
You'll need to provide information, including:
- your name
- your address
- details of the issue
What happens next
The data received is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Highways Working Group of the Stansted Area Transport Forum.
If any clusters of parking are identified which are causing difficulties for local residents, funding is available for the investigation, drawing up, consultation and implementation of either no waiting restrictions or residents' parking schemes.
Suspected scam airport parking operators
We know that some residents are concerned about suspected rogue airport parking operators parking cars in residential streets.
These scams often involve firms offering travellers secure parking but vehicles are then moved to nearby residential streets.
What to do
If a car is parked in breach of parking restrictions you can make an enforcement request on the NEPP website.
If a car is parked in a street with no parking restrictions, then there are no powers to move vehicles on.
If you suspect a rogue parking operator has moved cars onto a residential street please report it to Stansted Airport Limited using the form on the Stansted Area Transport Forum website. The data received is reviewed on a quarterly basis and is used to ascertain the scale of the problem. This can then inform future policies.
If you believe you have fallen victim to a rogue airport parking operator you should speak to your local Trading Standards or Citizens Advice for advice.
Find your local Trading Standards office on GOV.UK.
Find your local Citizens Advice on the national Citizens Advice website.
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