Parking and travel

Edge Hill is one of only two universities that offers over 2,400 parking spaces free of charge to students and staff. Access to the car park on campus is provided through a permit system. To access parking on campus, all students and staff who are eligible for parking must apply for a permit.

Permits are issued by the Parking team and to access parking, all vehicles visiting campus must display a valid permit on arrival.

Students and staff can apply for a permit via our online portal.

The University has established a Car Parking Policy which is regularly reviewed and updated. This policy provides the framework for how traffic and parking will be managed effectively on campus. Review the full policy.

The North West Regional Parking Standards (Government Policy) set out the requirements for appropriate provision and dictate the provision of parking that any institution can create. Edge Hill University is categorised under D1 as a higher education institution, and as such is constrained to provide one parking space per 15 students and one per two staff.

In liaison with West Lancashire Borough Council, the University has successfully worked to increase the total capacity of parking spaces on campus and has created approximately 700 additional spaces above the limit (this number cannot be exact as the student population fluctuates each year).

The university provides free parking to ensure that all commuting students, staff who travel long distances to get to work, and those with mobility issues and special circumstances can access their education and workplaces each day.

Through benchmarking carried out with AUSCO, it has been identified that Edge Hill is one of only two out of 133 universities in the UK that do not charge for campus parking. In fact, many do not provide any parking facilities at all.

The University has carried out benchmarking with five other campus universities in the UK to see if best practice can be shared, and found that on average they charge approximately “£4.00 per day” for parking, with two of the five not permitting any students to park on their campus. At this time, the University are not considering the option of charging for parking.

To respond to an increase in demand across September and October in 2021, the University has created 150 temporary spaces within the overflow car park, resulting in an overall capacity of 400 temporary parking spaces. These spaces will provide additional parking while campus attendance is at its peak, and it is expected that attendance will reduce at the end of October (each year) when student Teachers, Nurses and other practice-based courses go out onto placement.

As per the planning conditions set out by West Lancashire Borough Council, the University must adhere to the operating measures set out within the approved Traffic Parking and Management Strategy (TPMS) for the campus which dictates how often the overflow car park can be used, and during which periods. West Lancashire Borough Council does not allow for any temporary spaces to be converted to permanent parking provision.

To reduce the amount of cars on campus, the University has collaborated with the platform Liftshare to provide a Car Sharing Scheme for staff and students where they are able to connect with other commuters. The scheme provides a great incentive to reduce fuel prices for the individual and also reduces the amount of vehicles visiting campus, opening up more spaces for commuters.

In September 2022, there have been 367 total car sharer trips to campus, averaging 12 per day. This a significant decrease from three years ago in 2019 where we had 1,486 total car sharer visits to campus, averaging 123 per day. The University is keen to increase the popularity of car sharing in the future by encouraging students and staff to combine journeys and reduce the number of cars visiting campus each day, allowing more people to benefit from using the car park. 

The University provides two platforms for students and staff to meet other commuters via the platform Liftshare:

• Liftshare for students
• Liftshare for staff

The University is not permitted to provide further parking over and above the allocation set out within the Parking Standards. This restriction means that the University cannot explore other options such as a multi-storey or underground parking provision.

Specifically under the Parking Standards, point 8.44 advises that “The limiting of (free) parking spaces can be used as a means to encourage a shift towards more sustainable forms of transport”.

The “West Lancs Local Plan 2012-27” is available to review on the West Lancashire Local Plan 2012-2027 webpage – further information on Parking Standards can be found on page 128.

There are a variety of alternative car parks available in Ormskirk which can be found using the West Lancashire Borough Council map.

Both staff and students can access the EdgeLink bus free of charge from Ormskirk bus station every 20 minutes or can choose to take the 15-minute walk to campus via Ruff Lane or St Helens Road.

The University is working hard to reduce their carbon footprint and believe that sustainable travel can help everyone on the journey towards carbon neutrality. With more options than ever, the University are supporting students and staff to utilise sustainable alternatives at every possibility. Whether its cycling, scooting, walking, car sharing or getting the bus and train, there is something for everyone.

To support all commuters with whatever means of transport they choose to use, the University has created a central hub of travel information for students and staff on parking, public transport, cycling, walking and more. This hub includes useful links, timetables and the University’s Travel Plan to encourage the Edge Hill community to utilise more sustainable alternatives on their daily commute.

Explore further sustainable travel options and view timetables on our Sustainability pages.