The government has announced that wheel clamping on private land – including shopping centre car parks - will be banned in England and Wales.

Until the internal combustion engine is superceded, car parking is not going to be agreen activity. But there’s plenty that can be done to reduce the carbon footprint of a typical car park

Vinci Park is looking to bring a fresh approach, based on its international experience, to the UK parking scene

Disabled spaces are a challenge for car park operators everywhere, and new research suggests legislation is forcing them to provide too many spaces

The typically shady and inhospitable environment of underground car parks has been radically transformed in Brighton, where the 350-space ‘The Lanes’ facility has received a welcoming and flawless finish thanks to the Sikafloor System

Fire safety and air quality are key considerations in shopping centre car park design. Lee Hewings, car park specialist at the SCS Group, explains how it is possible to cut energy costs and help the environment while achieving safe conditions, even in older car parks.

Parkex, Europe’s largest dedicated parking event, took place in Earls Court at the beginning of March with some new products designed to shake up the retail sector in particular.

A new iPhone App has been created to help shoppers find the cheapest car park when they make a trip into town. The Nosey Parker is the only application to provide specific car park locations and prices in the UK, with a database containing 13,400 car parks offering a total 1.8 million spaces.

Car park operators are going to great lengths to entice cash-strapped shoppers by drastically slashing rates. But are low prices sustainable?

Mobile phone technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last decade. Along with making calls and sending texts, they can now be used to pay for parking. So how has pay-by-phone established itself in the UK?

The extent of corrosion damage to car parks often reveals itself mid-way through a major refurbishment. Operators need to keep corrosion levels in check or else pay the price

The UK’s leading car park company NCP turned to Siemens to overhaul its infrastructure to improve customer service.

Ensuring that car parks are used for legitimate shoppers only is a growing concern among centre managers and retail parks

The BPA has got safer parking in the bag, says Kelvin Reynolds, director of technical services and head of the Safer Parking Scheme

Parkex is nearly with us again, and it’s time for operators and managers to start gearing up for Europe’s largest parking exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham

Croydon’s Centrale centre undercuts neighbouring car parks. Hannah Prevett speaks to David Parham to find out more

Image and customer service are key considerations to bear in mind when choosing the right pay-on-foot system for a shopping centre.

Shopping centres from London to Glasgow have been investing in refurbishing their car park facilities, at a time when many owners are investing in their current stock instead of developing or buying anything new.

With consumer spending squeezed by increasing food and fuel bills and retail sales falling, shopping centres are having to work harder than ever to attract customers. Fuel consumption and car park charging are likely to be the key barriers stopping shoppers from visiting their usual retail centre as they are forced to tighten their belts and save a few pennies.

Liverpool One is the largest regeneration project to open in Europe this year, so it may not come as a surprise that three car parks with a total of 3,000 spaces have been built to cater for the thousands of shoppers visiting the scheme every day.

With its distinctive black and red logo, Q-Park is a recognisable brand in many of the UK's city centres, including Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool and Sheffield.

Putting cars in your car park may not sound like the most innovative idea - after all, isn't that what a car park is for? But when you add in branded stands, simulators, off-road experiences and motorbike rides, the picture changes.

The Mall Corporation has acquired the multi-storey car park at The Mall Chester from NCP as part of its plan to brand all its shopping centre car parks in The Mall livery.

Q-Park's former CEO, Alan Ashbee, has launched Parking Man - a full scope corporate level consultancy service for the parking sector - as announced at Parkex.

Berry Brisafe's Perimeter Edge System was chosen to protect cars and pedestrians visiting IKEA in Belfast.

Brent Cross recently joined forces with car park management company Creative Car Parks in a month-long campaign to overcome the centre's problem with staff parking.

Disabled parking bays are frequently a cause for controversy in the shopping centre industry. Whether it's people abusing the spaces reserved for blue badge holders or concerns expressed over limited provision, it is time for a radical overhaul of both the management and provision of these vital parking spots.

Shopping centre and retail park landlords are recognising the importance in achieving the Park Mark safer parking award in order to instill confidence in their customers. And this year has already seen a spate of these awards - run by the British Parking Association, and supported by the Home Office - earned by car park operators.

Payment machines on the market are getting far more sophisticated, giving shoppers greater choice of payment method and saving them from spending more time than necessary in the car park.

Pressure is on for shopping centre owners to encourage their customers to ditch the car and travel by public transport, bike or by foot to do their shopping. But for centres that operate car parks, it's important that shoppers still arrive by car. However, there are a number of ways they can ensure their car parks are as green as possible.

While refurbished car parks are never quite as impressive as the new-build multi-storeys that we have seen come out of the ground in the past decade, the multi-storey car park at Edmonton Green shopping centre in north London is a fine example of how a 1960s structure can be transformed into a light, safe and attractive facility that can hold its head alongside its 21st century counterparts.

Shopping centres provide a number of key challenges in designing an efficient car park that will be well received by the shopping public.