Campervanners say a council needs to invest more in a seafront parking spot to make it worth paying £15 a night.
Exactly a year ago today, fees were introduced to stay overnight at the Shingle Bank off Marine Parade, Minster, on Sheppey. Previously, people could park there for free.
It’s been a year since Swale council introduced charges on the Shingle Bank beach, Marine Parade, Minster. Picture: Barry Goodwin
A charge was brought in after residents complained about vehicles and caravans staying for weeks on end, creating an “encampment” that was likened to a “squatters’ camp”.
They reported being intimidated by those staying there, people dumping human waste into the sea, a lack of spaces for visitors during the day, anti-social behaviour and littering.
As a result, Swale council brought in a ban on caravans and a £15 charge for people parking there between 8am and 8pm.
The same rules were brought in at a parking spot in Shellness Road, Leysdown, where concerns had also been raised.
The council spent £37,400 on rolling out the new measures on August 1 last year. It also estimated it would cost £26,300 a year to operate.
When KentOnline visited the Shingle Bank a week after the charges were first implemented, four caravans were still there.
Motorhomes along Shellness Road, Leysdown, a year on from when Swale council introduced charges. Picture: Barry GoodwinThe Shingle Bank beach between Sheerness and Minster before Swale council’s charges were introduced. Picture: Phil Drew
When we returned this week, none of them remained. Instead, there were 10 motorhomes and a dozen cars and vans.
But visitors told us they expected more for their £15 overnight stay.
Dad-of-four Stuart Roberts says the council’s charges have succeeded because they have forced those living on the beach to leave.
However, he said having to pay did not encourage people to stay overnight.
The 54-year-old, who has lived on the Island his whole life, was in his recommissioned Peugeot J7 that he bought in France eight years ago when he spoke to us.
He has been visiting the seafront for seven years and during the summer, he spends most evenings there.
The former industrial electrical and mechanical engineer said: “The council has been fair with the charges and all the caravans and the people living in them have gone.
Stuart Roberts with his Peugeot J7 van at the Shingle Bank. Picture: Joe CrossleyCaravans on the Shingle Bank beach, on Sheppey, in August last year, a week after the measures were introduced. Picture: Joe Crossley
“But they have driven tourism away. You don’t get a lot for your £15. You just get the pitch and that’s it.
“Barton’s Point [Coastal Park] toilets and showers near here seem to be always shut.
“If you don’t have a campervan, you can only spend a few hours up here.
“It always used to be used by windsurfers and fishermen, but they have gone.
“So I think it’s worthwhile for the council to invest some money here to bring more visitors here.”
Motorhomes, vans and cars parked up on the Shingle Bank beach on Sheppey. Picture: Joe CrossleyThe White House toilets near the Shingle Bank beach have been closed by Swale council. Picture: Joe Crossley
Meanwhile, the White House toilets in Minster Broadway – a five-minute walk from the Shingle Bank – were closed by Swale council on April 1 as part of cost-cutting.
Retired couple Jed and Alicia Irvine, aged 59 and 64, were staying overnight on the beach with their two-year-old Fauve De Bretagne dog Hovey when they told us the “council is missing a trick” by not having toilets there.
They have lived in France for seven years but try to return to Sheppey, where Alicia grew up and lived for more than three decades, once a year.
This time they came back for six weeks and found that charges had been introduced.
The grandparents-of-seven use their motorhome to travel in France and use pitches across the country, which they say put the Shingle Bank offering to shame.
Alicia and Jed Irvine with their dog Hovey were staying overnight on the Shingle Bank on Sheppey. Picture: Joe Crossley
Jed, a former truck driver from Medway, said: “We never pay £15 for a pitch. I think we have once and it had a swimming pool, showers, toilets and a launderette.
“But there are as many places that are free as there are where you have to pay.
“Here, there’s nothing for anyone. You have the lovely view – you should attract people here and have amenities for them.
“The council is missing a trick here. They could make some serious money.”
Former NHS director Alicia added: “You have to go off to empty your loos and get rid of your grey waste (from showering and washing up).
It’s been a year since overnight parking charges were introduced at the Shingle Bank by Swale council. Picture: Joe Crossley
“We have sons who live on the Island, so we are lucky we can go and do that.
“If you don’t know anyone living here, you couldn’t do that, which isn’t nice.
“When we were here last, there was windsurfing and Ricky’s Surfing Shack but that’s closed now and no one seems to be windsurfing here.”
Ricky Wooding opened the Shack in 2007 but shut it last year due to declining trade after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ricky’s Surf Shack, opposite the Shingle Bank, closed last year. Picture: Joe Crossley
When it was open, people could book lessons with him over weekends.
The 58-year-old construction worker says he had been asking the council to install fresh water at the beach “for years”.
He said: “It wouldn’t do it due to money and that’s the problem.
“It’s all well and good saying let’s get a cafe or a sweet hut here, but unless the businesses can make money there’s not much point.
“With the cost of living, coastal areas like Sheppey are dying.”
Visitors to the Shingle Bank off Marine Parade say Swale council is “missing a trick” by not turning it into a tourist destination. Picture: Barry Goodwin
Some visitors have been left confused by the lack of options in the area.
Yorkshire couple Steven and Judith Craven were looking for somewhere to have a coffee when they spoke to KentOnline.
The grandparents-of-five were visiting to see family living on the Island and said they had visited the beach before.
Judith, a 67-year-old retired retail worker, said: “We came in the winter one evening years ago, so it’s hard to judge whether it’s busier than then.
“But it is quieter than we were expecting it to be, considering it’s the school holidays. We do like it quiet though.”
Steven Craven, from Yorkshire, was parked on the Shingle Bank beach. Picture: Joe Crossley
Former landscape gardener Steven, 64, added: “If they had facilities, like a cafe near here, it would entice more people to come.
“We tried the Sweet Hut for a coffee, but they were closed.”
When the charges were brought in, the council also installed CCTV and repaired the road surface at the entrance to Shingle Bank.
Anyone who fails to pay the £15 overnight charge faces a penalty charge notice of up to £70.
The local authority has been asked to provide details about how much income it has received from parking charges at both Shingle Bank and Shellness Road since last August.
The council was approached several days ago but is yet to respond.