Drivers parking at Chatham Dockside will face fines of up to £100 from Monday if they are not using the centre’s facilities.

The site’s owners are clamping down because they are fed up with its car park being filled with vehicles used by people not going to the outlet shopping centre, the Odeon cinema or attached restaurants.

Parking attendants will patrol the area to spot visitors who park up and go to the restaurants and gym at Chatham Quays next door where Creams and Zippers is located.

They will be also on the lookout for people who work at Chatham Maritime and students from the nearby university campus who leave their vehicles throughout the day.

Dockside centre manager Anthony Sutton said the rule stopping the use of the car park while visiting other areas of the site had always been in place.

But it is only now management have decided to enforce it because of increased footfall and an impending influx of customers when the trampoline centre opens by the end of the year.

There are also plans for a pub at Jetty 5.

Mr Sutton said: “We are simply pre-empting the situation and protecting our customers.

“Parking is becoming more of an issue and we are having to take steps to ensure our visitors can park as we are aware the quays will be opening a pub and trampoline centre in the near future. We have 380 spaces and between 7,000 and 10,000 visitors a day. Last week alone we had 50,000.

“In the past, we have had cases of people parking here and then going off to the
TruGym next door for three hours. We value our customers and the last thing we want to do is aggravate them.

“The surface-level and multi-storey car parks are for the use of Dockside, Odeon, Pizza Hut, Subway, Nando’s, Dean’s Diner, Chimichanga, Real China, Villagio and PureGym. The Quays has parking underneath TruGym, but no rights to use the Dockside car park”

Throughout this week, a banner has been placed outside and flyers handed out warning motorists of the changes.

Mr Sutton said: “In 24 hours we have spoken to about 200 people and feedback has been generally very positive.”

Parking company UKPC will be overseeing the new system. Fines will be reduced if paid within 14 days.