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News (2006)
Articles for 2006 are listed below:
- Intelligent Parking Solution For University (June 2006)
- CP Plus Development Appointments (July 2006)
- Summer Wins For CP Plus (August 2006)
- CP Plus accredited with excellence in security (November 2006)
Intelligent Parking Solution For University (June 2006)
After an initial one-year agreement, the University of Hertfordshire has renewed its contract with car park management specialist, CP Plus, for a further year.
The University is based on three campuses at College Lane, de Havilland and St Albans, and is home to some 20,000 full and part-time students.
Lack of space and the need for consistency in the enforcement of parking regulations led the University to change its policy from clamping to fixed charge notices, outsourcing the operation. The previous parking management system, in operation for some time, was based on a combination of permit allocation and pay and display.
"What we did was build on what was already in place," explains CP Plus's Paul Lavine. "We took the existing system and made it work for the University through good management practice.
"We enforce it more effectively, putting our operators on site throughout the week to offer assistance to drivers and deter parking abusers, and at the newer De Havilland site, we man the barrier entry system on weekdays."
The benefits to the University have been gradual. Parking areas are well regulated, students and staff are parking in their correct designated areas and illegal parking has been reduced to a minimum.
CP plus is able to help on special occasions too. "We offer the University extra support for special events like their campus tours and regular open days. We are also on hand for the graduates' awards ceremony, which is held in St Albans Cathedral and is a major event in the academic year," says Paul.
CP Plus has shown they can be flexible as well. "We believe it is good practice to adapt to different circumstances and to exercise discretion when situations demand it," says Paul. "With that in mind, we have learnt to be sensitive to students' parking problems during stressful periods. We tend to be more tolerant at exam times, for example."
CP Plus Development Appointments (July 2006)
CP Plus has restructured its business development team, appointing Emma Ng and Michelle Bradfield as account managers. Both have been with the company in other roles for some time; Emma for seven years and Michelle for 18 months. Their new responsibilities will include customer liaison, business development and overseeing the management of new and existing sites.
Summer Wins For CP Plus (August 2006)
Leading car park management company CP Plus has won three prestigious new contracts in recent weeks, with the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, Waitrose and English Heritage.
Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust
The five-year contract with the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust � the largest centre for the treatment of heart and lung conditions in the UK � was awarded in July, following a competitive tender.
The car park specialist is managing four staff car parks at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, and leasing and running the Sydney Street public car park opposite the Chelsea Town Hall, which is owned by the Trust. As well as providing management services, CP Plus has upgraded the Trust's existing barrier access equipment, and installed a CCTV system and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, to monitor usage and increase security.
Waitrose
In June, CP Plus extended its retail client portfolio to include managing and controlling car parks for the retail giant, Waitrose. The car park management company will be responsible for managing facilities and regulating parking at three stores, two in Glasgow and one in Liverpool. All three stores operate time-limited parking systems for their customers.
English Heritage
Another competitive tender resulted in CP Plus winning a 12-month contract to manage two of English Heritage's historic sites: Marble Hill House, fronting the Thames at Richmond, and Kenwood House in Hampstead. At Marble Hill House, CP Plus is taking over and operating the existing charge system. At Kenwood House, the company is introducing a new pay and display charge system for the first time. The contract runs from June 2006.
CP Plus accredited with excellence in security (November 2006)
CP Plus is the first car park management company in the UK to be recognised with a quality mark for its security standards.
Following a rigorous assessment procedure, CP Plus has achieved Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) status from the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
Gordon Andrews, Head of Operations at CP Plus, was responsible for driving the initiative forward: "We're delighted to have been awarded the licence, which demonstrates that we meet the stringent standards set down by the SIA for all our security staff and systems."
CP Plus already has an impressive security record. It has attained the Quality Assurance accreditation ISO 9001:2000 and NSI Guarding Gold - the highest gold standard award for Manned Guarding from the National Security Inspectorate.
"We are committed to raising the levels of professionalism within the parking and security industry sector." said Gordon Andrews.
CP Plus invests heavily in its staff and has achieved Investors in People status This is the National Standard that sets a level of good practice for improving an organisation's performance through its employees and demonstrates a company's continued commitment to their staff.
Gordon Andrews explains: "We also trained in excess of 100 staff to meet the requirements of the SIA, and all our staff based around the UK receive on-going training and are continually assessed. We also comply with the provisions of BS7858 security screening, which includes the vetting of staff."
In the past there has been small criminal element opting in and out of the security industry, giving it a poor reputation CP Plus is right behind organisations like the SIA and NSI which are helping to change the industry's reputation. "We are always striving to be the best at what we do and are continually looking for new ways to demonstrate this." says Gordon Andrews.
"We took the existing system and made it work for the University through good management practise"