UK smart parking
Boston Made · UK mobility · In development
Smart parking for the UK, built around the guest
We’re planning a UK parking and mobility business that brings together hospitality-grade booking, smart flooring sensors and automated vehicle handling. It’s designed from day one around UK parking rules, data protection and fire safety.
Three ways we’d work with UK sites
Different owners want different things. We’re open to all three.
Management contract
We supply ANPR cameras, payment and booking software and run the site. You keep ownership and receive tariff income, or a share of it, for a management fee.
FRI lease
We take the car park on a full repairing and insuring lease. We run it, carry the repair and insurance costs and pay you a fixed or turnover-based rent.
Joint venture or acquisition
We partner with or acquire an established UK operator, bringing its sites, team and council relationships. That’s the fastest route, and it fits Boston Made’s M&A and restructuring work.
The stack: three industries, one experience
Our concept pairs three physical and digital layers. Here’s what each does.
Hospitality
Pre-booking from articles and apps, prices in £, Apple Pay and Google Pay, loyalty, concierge-style support and add-ons like lounge access or food while you park.
Smart flooring
Pressure-sensitive mats under drop-off bays and walkways confirm where a vehicle sits and that every person has left the transfer zone before any automation moves. They work alongside cameras, not in place of them.
Casters & AGVs
Heavy-duty omnidirectional casters on automated guided sleds lift cars by the tyres and move them into dense storage. No driver has to squeeze into a tight bay.
The journey, step by step
- Discover & bookA UK reader finds a travel or commuting story on one of our sites and books a space, EV charging slot or hospitality pass in pounds. They get a digital pass tied to their number plate.
- ArriveAn ANPR camera reads the plate, matches the booking, opens the barrier and guides the driver to a transfer bay.
- Stage the carFloor sensors confirm the car is in position and everyone has walked clear. Signs and the app show “Vehicle staged”.
- Automated parkingAn AGV sled lifts the car and stores it. Cars leaving sooner are stored nearest the exit.
- Charge safelyEVs go to charging bays with heat monitoring and automatic power cut-off linked to the fire alarm.
- Retrieve & goThe car is brought out before your booked return time or when you tap “Ready”. The exit camera logs departure and a receipt arrives by email or text.
UK rules we’d build around
Where things stand as of September 2026. Several areas are still changing, so we check them again before opening any site.
| Area | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Company & land | A UK entity registered at Companies House. Planning permission for car park use where required, and advertisement consent for signs and camera gantries. | Advertisements Regs 2007 |
| Keeper data | Membership of an Accredited Trade Association (BPA or IPC), then a KADOE contract with DVLA to request registered keeper details. | DVLA INF266 |
| Code of practice | The industry Private Parking Single Code of Practice. It includes a 10-minute grace period after a session ends, a consideration period on arrival, signage standards, and charges capped at £100 (£60 if paid within 14 days). Existing sites must comply by 31 December 2026. The government’s statutory code under the 2019 Act isn’t in force yet; it was consulted on again in 2025. | House of Commons Library |
| Camera sites | Under Single Code v1.1, drivers who pay the full tariff before leaving aren’t charged for paying late. | Single Code v1.1 (Feb 2025) |
| Appeals | An internal appeal, then an independent one: POPLA for BPA members, IAS for IPC members. | BPA / IPC |
| Data protection | Number plates captured by ANPR are personal data under UK GDPR. We’d complete a DPIA before cameras go live, keep data only as long as necessary, and delete non-breach records quickly. Short retention is our policy choice, not a fixed legal limit. | ICO |
| Structures | Average vehicles are heavier (almost 2 tonnes, per IStructE), so structural checks of multi-storey decks come first. | IStructE |
| Fire & EV | We’d follow the government’s interim guidance for EVs in covered car parks. Approved Document B changes for car parks were consulted on in 2026 but aren’t in force. Approved Document S sets EV charge point provision in new buildings. The 2023 Luton Airport car park fire started in a diesel car, not an EV. | gov.uk · EV guidance · Beds Fire |
| Safety & lighting | Park Mark (Safer Parking Scheme) accreditation, run by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives since April 2026. Car park lighting designed to BS 5489-1 and BS EN 12464-2. | Safer Parking |
Our principle: automation should make parking fairer, not stricter. Grace and consideration periods, paying before you leave, and clear signs come first. Charges are a last resort, and every one can be appealed.
This page is a summary for discussion, not legal advice. We take specialist UK legal, planning and fire-engineering advice for every site.
Talk to us about a UK site or partnership
Landowners, hotels and venues, UK operators, and flooring or caster manufacturers: tell us what you have in mind.
We’ll reply from a Boston Made address. Your details are used only to respond to this enquiry.
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