Parking in Medway: council car parks in Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester and Strood, 2026 tariffs, free car parks, season tickets, blue badge rules and PCN fines.

Parking in Medway is cheaper than most people expect and more standardised than it looks. Medway Council runs the car parks across Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham on one common tariff, so the same two hours costs £3.50 whether you leave the car in Strood or Rochester. What varies is the maximum stay, the closing time and, in a few places, whether you pay at all. This guide covers the main town centre car parks, the 2026 charges, the free ones, season tickets, blue badge rules and what a Medway parking fine costs, with every figure linked to the council’s own page.

One change to plan for: the Brook multi-storey in Chatham closes for good in September 2026, and it is the biggest car park in the town. More on that below.

The standard Medway tariff

Most council car parks use the same off-street scale, published on the council’s parking charges page:

Medway Council off-street pay and display charges, 2026
Length of stayCharge
Up to 30 minutes£1.00
30 minutes to 1 hour£2.90
1 to 2 hours£3.50
2 to 4 hours£4.50
4 to 6 hours£5.50
6 hours and over£7.20

On-street pay and display bays use the same scale (on-street parking). The two multi-storeys price differently, and a handful of car parks add a longer band: Grove Road in Strood and Croneens in Gillingham allow up to 36 hours at £12, and Corporation Street in Rochester charges £14.40 for 5 to 18 hours.

Charging hours at most Medway car parks run 7am to 1am, Monday to Sunday, including bank holidays. That catches people out in the evening: a meal out in Rochester at 9pm is still chargeable.

Chatham

The Brook multi-storey (ME4 4LA) is the big one, with 467 spaces, and it is the only Medway car park charging 24 hours a day, with a 72 hour maximum stay. It runs on automatic number plate recognition: you pay on foot at a pay station before returning to the car, and blue badge holders do have to pay here, unlike most of the estate (The Brook). Its tariff steps up in hourly bands from £2.90 for the first hour to £7.20 for six hours or more.

The Brook and the adjoining Solomons Road blue badge car park both close permanently at midnight on Sunday 6 September 2026, ahead of a plan to build around 100 new homes on the site. The council says the neighbouring Pentagon Shopping Centre car park, which it does not own, stays open with 433 spaces, and points to 12 other town centre car parks with more than 700 bays between them. The Pentagon is providing free disabled parking from 1 September 2026 to replace the 19 blue badge bays lost at Solomons Road (council announcement).

The remaining council options in Chatham are all long stay up to 18 hours, charged 7am to 1am, and all free for blue badge holders:

  • Chatham Riverside (Dock Road, ME4 4SL): 104 spaces, 10 of them accessible, RingGo code 79434.
  • Queen Street (ME4 4LU): 44 spaces, 5 accessible, also free for motorcycles in marked bays, RingGo 79437.
  • Slicketts Hill (ME4 4LT): 50 spaces, RingGo 79438.
  • Old Road (ME4 6BJ): 83 spaces, no marked accessible bays, cash or RingGo only, RingGo 79441.

What it means for you: once the Brook goes, Chatham Riverside at 104 spaces becomes the largest council car park in the town centre. If you currently drive into the Brook on a Saturday, work out your alternative before September rather than on the day.

Rochester

Rochester multi-storey (Cory’s Road, ME1 1PZ) has 280 spaces and 18 accessible bays, and is cashless: card, contactless, Autopay, or the Go Mobon app using location code 59346. RingGo was withdrawn here on 4 January 2026. It charges £2.90 for the first hour rising to £8.30 for 5 to 18 hours, with a 72 hour maximum and no return within two hours of leaving (Rochester MSCP).

Corporation Street has 108 spaces and 8 accessible bays and now runs on ANPR with a barrier on exit. It is the outlier on price: £1.00 for 30 minutes and £4.50 for up to four hours, but £14.40 if you stay from five to 18 hours.

For the historic centre, High Street Two opposite the old railway station (ME1 1HY) has just 22 spaces on the standard tariff, and Boley Hill beside Rochester Castle (ME1 1SN) has another 22, short stay only up to five hours with no return within two hours.

What it means for you: Boley Hill and High Street Two are tiny and sit next to the castle and cathedral, so on a summer weekend treat them as a lucky find rather than a plan. Rochester multi-storey is the reliable option, and at £4.50 for up to five hours it is the better value of the two barriers.

Strood

Strood has three council car parks, all on the standard tariff:

  • Commercial Road (ME2 2AD): 74 spaces, 6 accessible, long stay up to 18 hours, RingGo 79409.
  • Temple Street: 66 spaces, 2 accessible, long stay up to 18 hours, RingGo 79410.
  • Grove Road: 97 spaces, long stay up to 36 hours at £12, RingGo 79473.

Grove Road is the one to know if you need to leave a car overnight, since 36 hours covers an airport run or a night away without a permit.

Gillingham

Medway Park on Mill Road is the largest, at 221 spaces, and has an unusual split: short stay up to four hours Monday to Friday, long stay up to 18 hours at weekends. It takes card or RingGo only, no cash.

Croneens has 69 spaces and allows up to 36 hours at £12. Britton Farm is short stay up to four hours and is locked between 6pm and 7am, so do not leave a car in it for the evening.

Where parking is free

Eight Medway car parks are listed as free, and they are mostly neighbourhood and country locations rather than town centres: Kestrel Road and Sultan Road (Newton Close) in Chatham, Parkwood Green and Twydall Gardens in Gillingham, Lower Upnor, Reed Street and Stoke Road on the Hoo peninsula side, and Luton Road Shoppers. The full list is in the council’s find a car park directory, which also shows which sites are ANPR, short stay, long stay, or hold the Park Mark Safer Parking award. Thirty eight Medway car parks have that award.

Season tickets

If you drive in most days, a season ticket beats the daily rate quickly. Medway sells five types, and residents pay less (car park season tickets):

  • Commuters, any car park: £210 for three months or £710 a year for Medway residents; £250 and £810 for non-residents.
  • Shoppers, any car park: £250 for three months or £800 a year.

Neither is valid in the Rochester or Brook multi-storeys, which have their own arrangements. The commuter ticket covers long stay car parks and long stay on-street bays across Chatham, Rochester, Strood, Rainham and Gillingham.

What it means for you: a resident annual commuter ticket at £710 works out at roughly £2.75 a working day against a £7.20 all-day rate, so it pays for itself in about half a year of five-day weeks.

Blue badge parking

Blue badge holders park free in most Medway council car parks with the badge on display. The two exceptions matter:

  • At the ANPR car parks, including Rochester multi-storey and Corporation Street, parking is still free but you must register your badge and vehicle before you enter. There is no barrier override on the day.
  • At The Brook, blue badge holders pay.

Fines and enforcement

Medway parking enforcement runs 7am to 1am, Monday to Sunday, including bank holidays, and camera enforcement for bus lanes and moving traffic runs all day, every day. Penalty Charge Notices, per the council’s pay a PCN page:

  • Higher level: £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
  • Lower level: £50, reduced to £25 within 14 days.
  • Bus lane or moving traffic: £60, reduced to £30 within 14 days, rising to £90 if unpaid after 28 days.

Medway PCN numbers usually begin MW. The council also warns that it never sends text messages about PCNs, so a text demanding payment is a scam.

Frequently asked questions

How much is parking in Medway? Most council car parks use one scale: £1.00 for 30 minutes, £2.90 for an hour, £3.50 for two hours, £4.50 for four hours, £5.50 for six hours and £7.20 for anything longer. The two multi-storeys and a few long stay car parks differ.

Is parking free in Medway on Sundays or bank holidays? No. Charging at most council car parks runs 7am to 1am, Monday to Sunday, and the council states this includes bank holidays. Eight car parks are free every day, but they are mostly outside the town centres.

Where can I park all day in Chatham? Chatham Riverside, Queen Street, Slicketts Hill and Old Road are all long stay up to 18 hours at £7.20. The Brook multi-storey closes permanently at midnight on Sunday 6 September 2026.

Do blue badge holders pay for parking in Medway? Not in most council car parks. At ANPR car parks such as Rochester multi-storey and Corporation Street parking is free but you must register your badge and vehicle in advance, and at The Brook blue badge holders do pay.

What is the fine for parking in Medway? £70 for a higher level contravention, halved to £35 if paid within 14 days, or £50 reduced to £25 for a lower level one. Bus lane and moving traffic fines are £60, reduced to £30 within 14 days and rising to £90 after 28 days.

Where can I park overnight in Medway? Grove Road in Strood and Croneens in Gillingham both allow stays of up to 36 hours, and the two multi-storeys allow up to 72 hours.

Sources

The other two things worth knowing before a trip into town are your bin collection day and, if you are moving here, what your council tax band costs. More Medway information is on the Medway Live home page.

Tariffs are those published by Medway Council as at August 2026 and are reviewed periodically. Check the sign or the council page before you pay.