Centrally located car parks already fulfil a vital primary purpose but with an increasing scrutiny on the value of urban sites and an essential focus on sustainability, there is an opportunity for these prime sites to offer more value to the local community, a contribution towards environmental targets and a blueprint for the future of car parks across the UK and beyond.
With this in mind, APCOA is announcing the launch of the first of its Urban Mobility Hubs at St Catherine’s Walk in Carmarthen, scheduled to launch in early February. Sites in Manchester and Sheffield are next in line for the Urban Mobility Hub refurbishment with a further seven sites identified for transformation as part of APCOA’s wider ESG strategy which will also deliver a total of 10,000 on and off-street charge points in the UK by 2025 and sets a company target of Net Zero Carbon by 2040.
By working with a unique network of partner organisations, APCOA Urban Mobility Hubs will be equipped to offer a range of services which are focused on the needs of the local community at each location. These will include EV bike and car charging points (fast and rapid), all facilitated by state-of-the-art ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology and linked to a variety of convenient payment options including autopay, pre-booking, APP payment and late-pay. APCOA’s Urban Hubs will also feature convenient, accessible vendor lockers which eliminate the need for emission-heavy multiple location courier drops. Other facilities include wi-fi enabled office pods and spaces for convenient remote working complete with vending machines for drinks and snacks. Enhanced and energy efficient LED lighting will illuminate a range of parking bays dedicated to specific user groups: blue badge holders, parent and child parking, motorcycles, EV and allocated pre-bookable Premium bays for added convenience. APCOA is working with partners to design and install roof-based PV systems that will power each site and colleagues who will maximise last mile delivery hub potential and introduce further opportunities at all future locations.
Customised additional services reflecting the needs of the local community will be on offer in each Hub, with car rental, emissions-based tariffs or screens with live data on local train, bus, taxi and events information for example. There are also opportunities for local businesses to utilise the existing infrastructure and footfall to their advantage by working with APCOA to create pop up shops and kiosks or to use parking bays for other innovative services. Interested businesses can find out more by contacting [email protected].
Urban Mobility Hubs are undoubtedly the future of car parks and a convenient and practical centre point for communities committed to sustainability. With more than 1600 car parks across the UK, there is enormous potential for APCOA to make a difference by working with landlords and partner organisations to create a network of Urban Mobility Hubs which support sustainability goals and greatly benefit local communities.
