Meadowhall parking: Sheffield shopping centre introduces new permit system for parent & child bays

Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre has introduced a major change to its parking rules, designed to make life easier for parents with young children.

Drivers wishing to use Meadowhall's parent & child parking bays will now require a permit to do so, bosses have announced, to ensure they are available for those who really need them. Unauthorised users caught parking in the bays will be given a parking fine.

Meadowhall has more than 200 dedicated parent & child spaces, for use exclusively by people with children aged under five, across all its car parks except for the Oasis 24-hour car park.

People wishing to use them must now register for a permit at one of the following locations:

• Upper Park Lane Customer Service Lounge, near Café Massarella
• Lower High Street Mobility Desk, near Argos
• Management Suite, at the rear end of the Lower Oasis Dining Quarter.

The electronic permits are valid for six months from issue, after which the holder must reapply. They are available to grandparents, carers and childminders too, provided the holder complies with the conditions. Shoppers must have the child with them when applying for the permit, which is linked to the vehicle's registration number.

People who park in a parent & child bay without registering for a permit are advised to go to a customer service desk immediately, before leaving the site, to ask for the penalty charge notice to be cancelled. This may be done if they have arrived on site with a child aged under five.

What have people said about Meadowhall's new parking permit system?

Meadowhall's post on Facebook announcing the change has generated some 2,000 comments, mostly in support of the new permits.

One person wrote: "Well done. I have 2 kids 16 months apart, it's sooo hard and virtually impossible to handle them if I can't get a parent and child parking spot! This is awesome and really forward thinking! Thank you Meadowhall!"

Another person called the new rules 'incredibly helpful', while a third person described the change as a 'great idea', and a fourth added 'wish more places did this'.

For more details about the parking permits and how to apply for one, visit: www.meadowhall.co.uk/news/parent-child-parking-permit.