ANPR at Haughmond Hill

What is happening? 

Haughmond Hill is undergoing an upgrade to the parking payment machines to a new cashless system that uses the latest number plate recognition technology.  

ANPR stands for Automatic Number Plate Recognition. It is a parking system that recognises car number plates when they enter and leave a car park. It calculates how long a car has been parked. 

There will be no changes to the current parking charges or cost of membership. 

How will it work? 

From a visitor point of view, very little will change other than that payment will now be card only, or via the RingGo Parking app. You will still pay for parking on arrival, and there will be brand new ticket machines to use. There will also be cameras that read your number plate as you enter and leave the car park.  

I am a member, how will it work for me? 

Members’ vehicle registration plates will be automatically recognised when parking in the main visitor centre car park. So you do not need to visit a pay station.  

It is really important that you let us know your vehicle registration and keep us up to date if you change vehicles. You can do this by logging into your account and updating your details.  

If you experience any issue with your Membership, please contact the membership team at membership@forestryengland.uk , or call 0300 068 0400 so we can help (Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm). 

Can you pay by card or cash? 

We are moving to a cashless system. All pay stations accept card payments and the RingGo Parking app is available to use. This automated system will allow Forestry England to operate more efficiently and ensure staff and funds are more focused on the important role of running the forest rather than administrative tasks. 

Why are you going cashless? 

We decided to switch to a cashless system for parking at Haughmond Hill. This helps to reduce vandalism to the machines, encourages more people to pay for parking and saves us money too, meaning we can spend more on looking after the forest that we love.  

To make this change as simple as possible, we’ve informed people about it on-site and on our website. The pay machines are easy to use and suitable for everyone. Some people choose to become a Forestry England member, which includes free parking as one of the benefits so you can simply park and go.

Why do you charge for parking? 

Income we generate from car parking helps to support Haughmond Hill and maintain the facilities for you and your family to enjoy. We couldn’t do it without you. Every penny you spend is invested by Forestry England back into the management of our woodlands. 

Over 200,000 visitors enjoy Haughmond Hill each year and so we continuously invest in maintaining our well-used facilities, although this might not always be obvious. Trails have become worn due to heavy use, so we have a rolling programme of inspections and repairs in place. There are many behind-the-scenes costs too, such as litter picking and emptying dog bins. We’re committed to providing good value for our visitors. 

At £35 for a year of free parking and benefits, Haughmond Hill membership costs just 67p per week and so represents excellent value for money for regular visitors. 

Won’t introducing ANPR lead to more people parking on the roadside? 

We ask all our visitors to park responsibly and use the car park facilities provided. Parking on the roadside can be dangerous and we ask our visitors to respect the local communities by keeping all roads clear. We do not own the road, but we are working with the local council to introduce measures to prevent roadside parking. If we see people parking dangerously on the roadside we will inform the police, and we would encourage any of our visitors to do the same. 

I am not happy with the answer I have been given. What can I do? 

Please refer any further questions or concerns to: wyre@forestryengland.uk