Changes to much-loved Plymouth beauty spot car park come into effect

Parking rules at the well-used Devil’s Point car park in Plymouth have now changed following a long-term agreement between Plymouth City Council and developer Urban Splash.

The site has been divided into two areas, with one section remaining free for up to three hours, while the other brought under the Royal William Yard (RWY) charging scheme.

Urban Splash, who redeveloped the Royal William Yard, said the move was “one of several initiatives underway” as they continue the regeneration of the historic yard.

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The council said the southern section will stay as a free public car park with almost 40 spaces, including five disabled bays.

It has been resurfaced and marked out, using a ticketless system with automatic number-plate recognition.

Whilst the northern section is now part of the RWY parking area, where charges apply.

Plymouth City Council will continue to maintain the site, but daily operations will be managed by SIP Car Parks.

A council report stated: “We have undertaken a number of observation visits and identified a large number of car park users parking, walking to the Royal William Yard and returning 6 to 8 hours later,” highlighting the need to separate commuter and visitor parking.

Urban Splash said the work, which began in March, was nearly complete and would add around 100 more spaces.

“The project has involved adapting the current Devil's Point car park, creating a new car park on the former reservoir and connecting the two to RWY through an arch in the perimeter wall,” the company said on its website.

Free parking will continue for up to three hours in the council-run section, with no return within two hours.

Both organisations said the changes were designed to make parking fairer and to support access for visitors to the waterfront area.