With 40 million cars on the roads of Britain, it’s no wonder more and more contractors are looking to build car parks. It’s getting harder to find a parking spot around the country, especially in commercial areas, so solutions can be extremely profitable.
But how can you find the ideal car park space in your area, and how should you go about constructing it? Here are a few tips for anyone looking to build a car park in the UK.
Find a space
One of the main elements of a successful car park — and certainly one that will impact every other decision you make — is the space. When you find a potential lot, think about where it’s situated. It is recommended that you pick a site that has consistent footfall. Are there any shopping centres or tourist attractions nearby? Is it an office area? Or is it based around a hospital? All of these factors will ensure your car park has a continuous stream of customers, and therefore, revenue — especially if you partner with the surrounding businesses.
However, your space isn’t just about the location. The size, access points and other lot characteristics are also important. Try to estimate how many parking spaces you’d need and verify that your potential site has enough room to accommodate this. You should also start to consider tariffs in comparison to the cost of the lot, as well as security arrangements.
Plan the structure
Once you have the right spot for a car park, it’s time to think about how you’re going to lay it out. This varies widely depending on the characteristics of your lot — for example, is it surface level or multi-storey? Another consideration is the nature of the nearby area. If your car park is near a school, it may require extra space for coaches, while a hospital might demand better disabled access. Electric charging points should also be included in your plan.
Based on your specifications, you’d need to choose between in-line, grid or diagonal layouts (or other alternatives). After designing your set-up, you should then check what kind of planning permissions and council regulations you need to follow.
Secure funds
Money makes the world go round, and it’s no different for construction. While possible, it’s unlikely that you already have all the funds you’d require to build a car park, so you’d need to secure some investment. In order to do that, it’s essential that you prove to investors that the lot is going to be profitable.
As such, you should come up with a business case that outlines how long it will take your car park to recoup the investments, and when it would start to turn profit. This is where understanding the design of your site can come in handy. Note all of the incurring costs and make sure it’s presented in a clear way for your potential investors. This should include any practices or technologies that may help with revenue generation, as well as any partnerships you have managed to establish.
Obtain permits
So, you have the perfect site, a plan for how to lay it out, and the funds to secure and build it. But before you start, it’s crucial that you apply and obtain the correct permits. These are mostly sought from the local council.
Planning permission, for example, is essential and will take up to a couple of months to obtain. To secure it, you’ll need to prove your car park won’t contribute to congestion or have a detrimental effect on the local environment, as well as some other factors like its suitable use. It’s also important to ensure you comply with health and safety regulations.
Ensure safety
Beyond compliance, we all know that security is incredibly important. You want to ensure your customers are safe from injury and theft, and some of these measures should be considered before you begin building. Thinking about where you’re going to place your ticket stations and the layout of your security cameras, for instance, is important at this stage.
An element of safety that should not go unnoticed for enclosed car parks is fire safety. Smoke ventilation systems must be installed, so it’s vital to contemplate which type — natural or mechanical — you’d want to implement, as this may affect your layout. According to the experts at Sertus, for car parks that are very large, require control of toxic gases, or are positioned in a deep basement, mechanical ventilation is most suitable.
Prepare for launch
Now that you have your car park ready to go, it’s time to prepare for launch. Hiring staff can be a complicated and long process, for instance, so it’s best to think about it early on. This includes ticket inspectors, customer service, and security. It is also recommended to start with a soft launch to allow your staff to get used to their new jobs and iron out any kinks to do with the technology you employ.
Another element you should consider is marketing. While many people may stumble upon your car park, some may not notice a new addition to the area. So, try to establish relationships with the shops and institutions in the vicinity, partner with apps like JustPark and RingGo, and ensure there are clear and widespread directions to get to your car park.
