News

Parent & Child Parking Permit

We offer over 200 parent and child spaces which can be found across all Meadowhall car parks, with the exception of the Oasis 24 hour car park.

Parent & Child spaces now require an Authorised User Parking Permit, which you can register for in one of the following locations:

• The Avenue – Upper Level 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.

Permits are valid for 12 months from the registration date. Any non-authorised user will be issued with a Parking Charge Notice.

Authorisation to park in the bays applies to vehicles registered for the scheme and when they have a child under the age of 5 years on board the vehicle when parking.

FAQS

Q) What happens if a PCN is issued to someone who has parked in a Parent & Child Bay without displaying a valid permit, but they have a child under 5 on board?

 A) Anyone who has parked in a Parent & Child bay, but hasn’t yet registered for a permit/has forgotten to display the permit, can go to a CS desk (immediately, and not before leaving site) and a DM will look at cancelling the PCN, but only if they have complied with the parking T&C’s, i.e. they have arrived on site with a child under the age of 5 years, onboard their vehicle.

Q) How long is permit valid for?

A) Permits are valid for 12 months, but are only valid when the T&C’S are met, ie they have arrived on site with a child under the age of 5 years, onboard their vehicle.

Q) How can we tell if a permit belongs to the vehicle?

A) The permit will have the VRN and date of expiry on it.

Q) Can anyone register, e.g. they don’t have a child but prefer to park in a wider bay?

A) Customers must have the child with them when they register.

Q) How long is permit valid for?

A) 12 months form the date of issue. Customers must reapply for their permit once it expires.

Q) Is personal information captured for the permit?

A) We do not ask for or retain any personally identifiable information.  Just the VRN.

Q) Can a permit be shared with others/ family members?

A) No, the permit is registered to a vehicle NOT a person. If a child accompanies someone with a different/unregistered vehicle or the person who registered for a permit changes vehicles, a different permit must be applied for.

Q) Can a person register more than one vehicle when they apply for a permit?

A) No, it is one vehicle per permit application. A separate permit application will be required.

Q) How are vehicles registered for a permit?

A) Customers simply register at one of the 3 Customer Service locations, listed on the scheme collateral, and once they have agreed to comply with the T&C’s, and have been issued with a permit, their VRN’s is added to a list which is used for monitoring compliance and for ticketing purposes.

Q) Is the permit scheme open to grandparents/carers etc?

A) The scheme is in place to help anyone vising with a child under 5 years. Grandparents/parents/carers/childminders etc, can register, as long as they comply with the T&C’s when parking in a Parent & Child Bay.

Q) Are there any time limits on parking?

A) No.

Q) Can someone park in a Blue Badge Bay or a hatched area with Parent & Child permit?

A) No, all other parking T&C’s remain.

Q) Can customers use the Parent & Child Parking Permit in locations other than Meadowhall Shopping Centre?

A) No, the permit is for use exclusively in Meadowhall Shopping Centre car parks.

Q) Why are most of the Parent & Child Parking Bays closer to the entrances?

A) We want parents to be able to get children safely into the Centre without walking any distance across a car park.

Q) Can a customer with a Blue Badge (Disability Badge) park in a Parent & Child Bay?

A) The terms and conditions of use are: The bays are only for use by people with children under the age of 5, arriving with the child on board and the authorised Parent & Child parking permit is on display.

The bays are not for use by Blue Badge holders, however, if a Blue Badge holder arrives with a child under 5 on board, they can apply for Parent & Child Permit, which must be displayed when parking in the Parent & Child Bay.

Q) If a customer is accompanied by a child over the age of 5 years, with a physical or neurodiverse condition/disability, can they apply for a permit to park in a Parent & Child Bay?

A) The terms and conditions of use are that the bays are only for people with children under the age of 5, and the child is on board at the time of parking.

Q) What about customers who prefer to park in a larger bay but don’t qualify for a Parent & Child Parking Permit or a Blue Badge, for example they have on board an elderly passenger, or passenger with a physical/neurodiverse condition?

(A) We understand that some customers may need to park in a larger bay but don’t qualify for a Blue Badge or Parent and Parking Permit, so we are looking to create some larger spaces in one of our car parks. We will update on this once finalised, but in the meantime, we would advise customers to park in the quieter car parks, such as the Lower Green car park, the Lower Yellow and Lower Red car parks, where there are likely to be  more rows of empty bays. All of these car parks are under cover and have lifts and escalators.

Q) Will a customer need to have a child with them when registering for Parent & Child Permit?

A) Yes, as we need to ensure we have genuine applications.

Q) Why is the permit only valid for 12 months?

A) A 12 monthly application helps to ensure everything is up to date, such as vehicle registration and the child’s age.

Q) What happens if a customer gets a parking ticket while they are in the Centre registering for a Parent & Child Permit?

A) Don’t worry, we will have the Permit entry details on the electronic register used by our Parking Services Team, so a vehicle was issues with ticket, they simply call 0333 313 2000 (option 5) while still on site and we will sort this out for (subject to having a child on board when entering the car park)

Q) Can a customer register a vehicle on behalf of another person, for example, a partner/relative?

A) To ensure we have only genuine applications, we require everyone to individually register in person, whilst accompanied with their child/grandchild.

Q) Is there an electronic registration process available?

A) To ensure we have only genuine applications, we require everyone to individually register in person, whilst accompanied with their child/grandchild.

Q) What if a customer is visiting from out of the local area/a different country, or it is an isolated visit?

A) They must still follow the Terms of Conditions and register for Parent & Child Permit, if they wish to park in a Parent & Child Bay.

Q) Why has this scheme been introduced?

A) To ensure the bays are used only by customers who are entitled to use them, in line with the Terms and Conditions of parking which are displayed on the car park signage.

Last updated Tuesday 31 October, 2023