Westgate car park in Basildon town centre is getting 90 minutes' free parking and number plate cameras, due in December. What changes and what it costs now.

Drivers using Westgate Car Park in Basildon town centre are due to get 90 minutes’ free parking from December. The car park will also switch to number plate recognition cameras.

Basildon Council made the decision on 26 October and published it on 30 October. An officer decision record appoints a company called Sagoss Ltd to run parking at Westgate after a competitive tender. The council says Sagoss scored highest on quality, experience and value for money.

What changes

The decision record says the new arrangements will:

  • give 90 minutes’ free parking, “alongside the existing parking tariffs”
  • bring in Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to manage and enforce parking
  • aim to cut unauthorised and long-stay parking, so more spaces are free for shoppers

The service is “anticipated to become operational in December 2026”, subject to the contract and set-up being completed. No start date has been published yet.

The council’s stated reason is footfall. It says the free period will improve access to Westgate and support “the town centre’s retail and leisure offer”. The council owns Westgate Shopping Park, and Aldi is due to open there on 12 November.

What it costs now

The decision record refers to “Westgate Car Park” and does not say whether the free 90 minutes covers the multi-storey, the surface car park, or both. The council’s Schedule of Fees and Charges 2026-27 lists both, with these tariffs from 1 April 2026:

Westgate Multi-Storey Westgate Surface
Monday to Saturday daytime 2 hours £1.55, 4 hours £2.45, all day £3.75 2 hours £2.00
Evenings £1.55 a session, 6pm to 11pm £2.00 a session, 6pm to midnight
Sundays and bank holidays 75p all day 75p all day

The decision record does not say whether those prices will change once the 90 minutes starts. It says the free period sits alongside “the existing parking tariffs”.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. Pay as normal until the council announces a start date.
  • A quick shop should become free. Ninety minutes covers most supermarket trips, which matters with Aldi opening on the site this month.
  • Watch for the cameras. ANPR cameras record your number plate on the way in and out. The council has not yet published how overstays will be charged, so read the signs when the new system goes live.
  • Not in time for 14 November. The start is due in December, after Basildon at Christmas on Saturday 14 November.

Our parking in Basildon page has prices for every council car park in the borough. We will update this story when the council confirms the start date and the rules.

Sources