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04
May
What has happened to parking charge trial at Harrogate reservoirs?
Four years ago, Yorkshire Water announced it would trial parking charges at four of its 34 reservoirs.
The utility company said it would test the charges at Fewston, Swinsty and Thruscross in the Harrogate district and Langsett in South Yorkshire over an 18-month period.
The news upset some frequent visitors, including walkers and dog owners, who previously parked for free.
Washburn Parish Council warned of extra pressure on parking on roads and verges near the reservoirs by motorists avoiding the charge.
However, Yorkshire Water proceeded with its plans. It appointed Bransby Wilson Parking Solutions to install parking meters, erected ANPR cameras and introduced card payments via the RingGo app and by telephone.
It now costs £1 an hour, £2 for two hours, £3 for six hours, £5 for a day or £30 for an annual pass to park at the four reservoirs.
The trial started in January 2024, meaning it was due to finish midway through last year.
Yorkshire Water said at the time the tariffs would help to fund the creation of a nine-strong ranger team.
Alastair Harvey, lead countryside advisor at the company, said:
We believe a small parking fee and increased security will help to dissuade anti-social behaviour, such as fly-tipping, at our sites but also have a long-term positive impact in terms of the projects we can deliver in the future.
Vandalism attacks
The trial would also determine whether Yorkshire Water extended the charges to more of its reservoirs.
The early signs, however, were not promising. The car park machines at Swinsty were vandalised multiple times in the weeks after the meters were brought in.
In September 2025, Yorkshire Water extended the trial to the end of last year.
Four months into 2026, however, it remains ongoing.
The Stray Ferret contacted Yorkshire Water this week to find out more about what was going on.
We received the following statement:
Our car parking trial has given us a clear insight and understanding of how our reservoir sites are being used. We are in the process of carefully reviewing the trial and understand the local interest and will update everyone once we’ve decided on our next steps. The funds from the charges are being used for maintenance and improvements of our reservoir sites, as well as biodiversity enhancements, including implementing better access for disabled customers and tackling invasive species.
Swinsty Reservoir. Picture: Colin Corker.
3,300 permits
We replied by asking for figures from the trial, including how much income had been generated and the take-up of annual passes.
The spokesperson said:
“There have been over 160,000 transactions since the trial started, and 2% of these were the purchase of annual parking permits (over 3,300).”
We also asked if the trial had led to the creation of a ranger team. The spokesperson said it had a 10-strong ranger team “funded by the income generated from the trial”. They added their remit involves providing on-site advice and activities and enhancing biodiversity.
However, there is still no decision on when the trial will end — or what action it wll lead to.
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