Bristol Airport announces Parking Action Plan Agreement

A joint Parking Action Plan between Bristol Airport, North Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police force has been agreed to tackle offsite illegal parking companies, rogue meet and greet operators and nuisance street parking.

Bristol Airport has been meeting regularly with North Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset police, who are based at the Airport, to tackle the various parking issues in the local community and the associated anti-social behaviour.

Throughout 2025 the Airport, Police, North Somerset Council and local parish councillors have all been working together to highlight issues, share information and agree on how best to proceed.

Last month (January 2026) the Airport held a parking surgery with local parish councillors and their district councillors, to discuss areas of concern with local police and key members of North Somerset Council, including highways and planning enforcement teams. Councillors from the core parishes of Winford, Backwell, Wrington and Cleeve attended along with their ward councillors – Cllr Annemieke Waite, Cllr Bridget Petty and Cllr Thomas Daw.

Forty actions were highlighted and agreed upon with clear accountability and realistic timeframes for the Airport, North Somerset Council and the Police. Some of the outcomes include:

• Proposing to double the funding provided by the Airport to support North Somerset Council’s planning enforcement team

• Further joint days of action with Avon and Somerset Police and North Somerset Council and working with both to tackle rogue meet and greet operators.

• New signage enforcing no stopping or waiting in the lane directly off the Airport roundabout installed.

• Parking restrictions for the Bridle Cottage layby on the A38 near the Fox and Goose, limiting waiting for a maximum of two hours.

• Local taxi firms contacted and reminded about the Waiting Zone, which is free for the first hour, to discourage parking outside properties.

• Expanding the capacity of the Airport’s one-hour free waiting zone and improving signage

• The Airport has also renewed its contract to continue community litter picks in areas within close proximity to the Airport. Meanwhile, Bristol Airport staff continue to regularly volunteer as well.

Rob Henley, Transport Planning Manager at Bristol Airport said: “It’s been vital that we work together with North Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police, as the only way to tackle parking issues is through a joined-up approach.

“We encourage those customers who can use public transport to consider travelling to the Airport this way. We have the A1 bus to and from Bristol, the A3 bus, running between the Airport and Weston-super-Mare, and the A4 bus from Bath via Saltford, Keynsham and Hengrove. And we’ll be announcing more routes soon.

“We ask all customers who drive and taxi drivers to please be more considerate to the local community and not park outside homes. We recommend using our free waiting area rather than dropping off outside of people’s houses and in laybys. A complimentary bus runs regularly from this area to the terminal.

“We are working hard with everyone to find and deliver the best resolutions to make a real difference to local communities.”

A Parking Reporting Guide has been produced, alongside the Parking Action Plan, so it is clear which organisation deal with which issues. It can be found on the community pages of the Airport’s website.

In 2025 the planning enforcement team at North Somerset Council worked tirelessly to target illegal offsite operators, some of which were parking more than 1000 cars in a field during the summer peaks. They made more than 1,000 monitoring visits in 12 months and issued 24 enforcement notices against sites operating off-site car parks without planning permission.

Councillor Annemieke Waite, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment for North Somerset Council said: “If you choose to park outside of Bristol Airport, it is your responsibility to check the company is reputable. Look for a parking accreditation. Check terms and conditions and reviews, and avoid companies with a mobile only number. Consider using a credit card to book. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

Inspector Christian Gresswell from Avon and Somerset Police at the Airport added: “We are fully aware of the issues and concerns residents have surrounding unaccredited parking operators, and we will continue to work with our partners to tackle them and address any issues of criminality.

“We hope the measures agreed will help to alleviate some of the issues we have seen over recent months and we will continue to support the local authority with any enforcement action they may take themselves.

“Residents and visitors alike are urged to keep reporting issues surrounding nuisance parking and unaccredited parking operators to us and our partners, so we understand the scale of the issues and what resources are needed to tackle them.”

The British Parking Association (BPA) has also been working with the Airport and North Somerset Council since last year to share knowledge of airport parking issues elsewhere in the country. The BPA attends the Transport Forum meetings that happen twice a year at the Airport.

Anne Bevis, Technical Compliance Manager, British Parking Association explained: “As part of our aims to support local communities and tackle the specific issues and challenges surrounding airport parking and transport networks, the British Parking Association have been delighted to participate in the Bristol Airport Transport Forum.

“This collaboration has led to knowledge sharing, positive action and enhanced stakeholder relationships with local police, trading standards and planning enforcement teams. The Day of Action targeting ‘Rogue’ operators is already delivering tangible results, and we look forward to playing an integral role and assisting with further improvements to benefit everyone into the future.”

Customers wishing to travel to and from the Airport by more sustainable options are reminded the A1 bus operates to and from Bristol via Bedminster every eight minutes during the day and half-hourly at night. The A3 bus, which runs between the Airport and Weston-super-Mare is every half an hour during the day and at least hourly overnight and the A4 bus to and from Bath via Saltford, Keynsham and Hengrove is every hour with an exception between 1-3am where it is less regular.