West Wittering Estate, West Sussex

Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, West Wittering is a large, sandy beach in West Sussex. With its rolling sand dunes, grassy hills, beach café and dedicated car park, it’s a popular spot for locals and visitors all year round.

When the government announced lockdown, they too had to close the car park to discourage people from coming to the beach and minimise the spread of Covid-19. 

The opportunity

When restrictions started to lift and people could visit outdoor spaces again, they wanted to open the beach responsibly and keep their staff, the public and local community safe. 

One way of doing that, was to control the number of visitors. With no other parking in the village or nearby, they decided to limit the number of vehicles in their car park and as a result, the people on the beach. 

The solution

Within days of consulting with West Wittering, we designed a cashless/pre-book solution that allows visitors to choose and reserve their parking in advance. We also introduced daily caps on the number of sessions during the day and in the evenings to help ease congestion and overcrowding. 

The results

• Drivers bought over 1,000 parking sessions within 30 minutes of going live online
• Drivers booked over 15,000 sessions for the coming weeks and months in the first seven days.
• Visitors can now enjoy a day at the beach and order take out from the café – all while staying safe and adhering to the government’s guidelines