Hartlepool rated as best place in UK for residential parking

Research by esure car insurance shows that, on average, each car in the town has an average of 11.8m of space to park outside their home.

That is the most in the country, with the next highest – 11.4m per car – being in Doncaster, while the national average amount of space-per-car in residential areas has shrunk to 9.16m.

Hartlepool Borough Council claim the research shows that their “long-standing commitment” to providing residential parking spaces has paid off.

A spokesman said: “We understand parking controls and permits play a huge part in keeping Hartlepool’s roads safe and clear, and we have a long-standing commitment to provide residential parking spaces, particularly in the more densely populated areas of the town.

“We currently have 4,000 resident permit holders and we also offer business and commuter permits.

“It is very pleasing to be recognised in this report, and we will continue to work with residents to ensure we have effective parking arrangements in place.”

Nationally, the research shows that since 2011, car ownership has grown at twice the rate of residential parking spaces, with more than 2million extra cars now on the road.

That problem does not appear to be keenly felt in Hartlepool, but nationally, it is leading to a daily battle for many to find a parking space near their homes, with more than one in 10 now finding parking on the street difficult.

Jon Wilshire, chief underwriting officer at esure, said: “Drivers are not imagining it – it really is harder to find a parking spot for your car.

“Over the past two decades, the number of vehicles on the road in Britain increased by 10million, going up from 21million in 1995 to 31million in 2015, but the space available for parking in residential areas has not kept up. In some areas the average space available is so tight that drivers can barely manoeuvre their cars into the spaces available.”