Dalton Park achieves prestigious Park Mark Plus

Dalton Park is the first surface car park in the North East of England to receive the elite, Park Mark Plus award.

Building on the well-regarded Safer Parking Scheme’s Park Mark award, the new Park Mark Plus recognises only the highest quality car parks. The award assesses a range of criteria from services and operations to design and build. To qualify for the award, the car park must meet Park Mark and Disability Parking Accreditation criteria as a minimum.

Customer expectations for well-managed, high quality car parks are exerting demand on the sector to deliver excellent services and enhanced customer experience whilst caring for the environment. Technology is also playing a growing role in delivering a seamless and efficient customer experience.

Environmental sustainability is a key focus of this award; the availability of electric charging bays, energy saving lighting, water recycling or re-purposing rainwater and air quality monitoring are desirable features. Supporting green choices such as car-sharing through special parking bays or secure bicycle and motorcycle parking can be evaluated as well as greenery, from planters and pots through to living walls.

Jerry Hatch, Centre Manager at Dalton Park, said: "Park Mark Plus is a fantastic new scheme to recognise the absolute best of the best, so we are naturally absolutely delighted to gain this award. We invest heavily in our car parking facilities as we recognise that it is the first step on the all-important customer journey. I would like to congratulate our hard-working team who work tirelessly to ensure Dalton Park meets the very high standards set. This additional status gives our customers the ultimate peace of mind when parking and shopping here at Dalton Park."

Ryan Davey, British Parking Association Area Manager said: “I am delighted that Dalton Park has achieved the Park Mark Plus award. Not only does good management ensure that measures are in place to reduce crime and the fear of crime in car parks, and enforce disabled parking for the benefit of those that need accessible bays, it can also provide customer and environmental benefits for the enjoyment of us all.”

Jordan Ord, Architectural Liaison Officer for Durham Constabulary said: “This is a great achievement for Dalton Park as the first car park in the North East to receive the Park Mark Plus award, it demonstrates their hard work and commitment to provide a safe and high quality environment for the users of the car park”.