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    Parking in Fiveways, Brighton: Where to Park and What It Costs

    Controlled parking bays on Ditchling Road

    The quickest answer is that you park on the street in Zone F, which is pay and display, or in the Preston Park car parks a short downhill walk away. Street parking is paid and time-limited, so work out how long you will stay before you leave the car. We are at 298 Ditchling Road, right in the middle of Fiveways, and a lot of our guests drive in, so this is the guide we would hand a friend.

    Everything below comes from Brighton & Hove City Council pages, with the dates the prices apply to. Council charges and rules get revised, so check the sign on the street before you pay.

    Lost And Found Taproom
    Make Your Fiveways Visit Worthwhile
    Lost+Found Taproom at 298 Ditchling Road serves rotating local brews and wines to enjoy on-site or take home.

    TL;DR

    • Fiveways and the Balfour area are covered by Zone F paid parking, so expect to pay on the street.
    • Zone F charges are £1.60 for up to 1 hour, £3.30 for up to 2 hours and £6.40 for up to 4 hours.
    • Preston Park has parking downhill from Fiveways, open daily from 9am to 8pm, with a 6 hour maximum stay.
    • Read the bay markings and signs before you leave the car. The council map is a guide and does not show temporary restrictions.
    • On big event weekends such as Pride, plan ahead, allow extra time or leave the car at home.

    Table of Contents

    Where Fiveways is and why parking works the way it does

    Fiveways is the junction where Ditchling Road, Preston Drove, Beaconsfield Road and the surrounding roads meet, around two miles north of the seafront. A local neighbourhood guide puts it at about a 40-minute walk from the seafront, with London Road station on Ditchling Rise the nearest railway station.

    It is a village-style high street of independent shops, cafes and a handful of bars, mostly surrounded by terraced streets. Those streets are managed as controlled parking zones. The council lists the area as parking zone F, Fiveways and Balfour Road, next to neighbouring zones such as J (Preston Circus), Q (Prestonville) and A (Preston Park Station).

    In practice that means three things:

    • Short-stay paid bays near the shops are for visitors.
    • Many nearby streets prioritise residents with permits.
    • There is no big car park in the middle of Fiveways, so you either use a pay and display bay or park a bit further out and walk.

    Street parking in Zone F: what it costs

    The council states that Fiveways and the Balfour area have Zone F paid parking. Its published tariff for the zone is:

    Stay Zone F charge
    Up to 1 hour £1.60
    Up to 2 hours £3.30
    Up to 4 hours £6.40

    Those are the figures on the council’s Zone F page. A four-hour stay is the top of the tariff, and the cost is steady enough that an evening visit is rarely a big expense. If you are planning a long afternoon of tasting beers, a four-hour bay costs less than two pints in many pubs. Do the sum for your own plans and, if you will stay longer, think about leaving the car elsewhere.

    Is there free parking?

    Most kerbside space in the zone is paid or permit-controlled, so do not count on a free bay right outside the venue. Some drivers find unrestricted spaces a few streets away, but that depends entirely on what the signs say on that road, and the rules differ street by street. Never assume a quiet-looking road is free: if there is a zone sign or a marked bay, it is controlled.

    The council also amended its 2024 Controlled Parking Zones Consolidation Order in 2025, with changes that included Zone F. Restrictions do get adjusted, so the sign beside the bay beats any article, including this one.

    How to pay

    The council’s page for the zone is the place to see the current ways to pay. Pay and display machines and phone payment are the usual options in Brighton & Hove. Use whichever the sign beside your bay shows, and keep your registration number to hand because most systems ask for it.

    The Preston Park car parks

    The Preston Park car parks — overview diagram

    If you would rather avoid circling the side streets, Preston Park is the sensible backup. The council describes it as downhill from Fiveways, with parking areas reached from Preston Drove or from the junction of Preston Road and Preston Park Avenue. They are open every day from 9am to 8pm.

    The council lists these charges as of 2 May 2026:

    Stay Preston Park charge
    1 hour £1.70
    2 hours £3.40
    4 hours £6.60
    6 hours £8.40

    The maximum stay is 6 hours, with no return within 4 hours. Compare that with Zone F: the park costs a little more per band but lets you stay longer than four hours, which suits a full day out. The trade-off is the walk back up the hill to Fiveways, and you should factor in the 8pm closing time if you are planning an evening.

    What to check before you leave the car

    A parking ticket spoils a good evening, and most of them come from a missed detail on a sign. Run through this list each time:

    1. Read the nearest sign and the bay markings. The council’s own street parking information map is a guide, and it does not show temporary restrictions.
    2. Check the time limit against your plans. Four hours sounds generous until a second round gets poured.
    3. Look for suspensions. Temporary notices on lamp posts can override the usual rules for roadworks, filming or events.
    4. Note the permit rules. A bay for residents is not available to you, however empty it looks.
    5. Set a phone alarm for ten minutes before your time runs out.

    Big event weekends

    Brighton gets very busy on some weekends. The council calls Pride weekend one of the busiest periods in the city, with road closures and parking-bay suspensions planned, and it advises planning ahead and allowing extra time. For Pride 2026 it offered Park & Ride on Sunday 2 August. Dates change each year, so look at the council’s travel pages in advance if your visit falls on a major event weekend.

    Other ways to get to Fiveways

    Parking is not always the best answer. The neighbourhood sits on busy bus routes along Ditchling Road, and London Road station is the closest rail stop. If you plan to try several beers, leaving the car at home is simply the better choice: you can taste properly, and you skip the clock on the meter. A taxi or a bus home costs less than a parking fine and a lot less than a lost licence.

    Walking is realistic from nearby neighbourhoods such as Preston Park, Hollingbury and the Round Hill area, and the route up from the park is a pleasant way to arrive.

    Visiting us at 298 Ditchling Road

    We are a craft beer taproom and bottle shop in the heart of Fiveways, serving beer and cider from independent Sussex producers, curated wines, and street food and XXL hot dogs. You can see the current lineup on our beer menu and the wider range on our on tap page. Both are published online, so you can decide what to try before you set off.

    A few practical tips for drivers:

    • Quick bottle shop visit: a one-hour bay is plenty for choosing cans and bottles to take home.
    • An evening sitting down: pick a two or four hour band, and set your alarm before the end.
    • Bigger groups: ask everyone to share lifts or come by bus, as street spaces near the junction fill up in the evening.

    Hosting a group or party

    If you are organising a celebration, parking is one of the first questions guests ask, so put the Zone F and Preston Park details in your invitation. We offer exclusive use of the taproom with no hire fee, subject to a minimum bar spend, and you can decorate and choose the music and drinks. Details are on our venue hire page. If you are weighing up options, our guide to choosing a party venue without hidden booking fees explains what to ask, and why Fiveways works as a party location covers the neighbourhood.

    Our perspective: plan the journey like you plan the round

    We watch the junction outside every day, and the pattern is clear. The visits that go best are the ones where the guest settled how they were getting there and home before they ordered. Drivers who park in a paid bay and set a timer relax and enjoy a couple of excellent Sussex beers. Those who gamble on a free space often end up circling the side streets, arriving late and a bit stressed.

    Our perspective: plan the journey like you plan the round — overview diagram

    Our advice is simple. If you are driving, treat the parking fee as part of the evening’s cost, choose a band with some margin, and consider the one non-alcoholic option that is always worth trying. If you are drinking, leave the car at home. Fiveways is a neighbourhood built for walking, and a pint tastes better when you are not watching the clock on a meter.

    For event hosts, we encourage sharing travel details with your guests up front. A short message with the zone, the nearest car park and the bus options removes most of the arrival stress, and it means the party starts on time.

    — Author

    FAQ

    Is there free parking in Fiveways, Brighton?

    Most parking around Fiveways is paid, because the area is covered by Zone F. Some streets further out may have different rules, so read the signs on whichever road you choose. Do not assume a street is free without checking the sign.

    How much is parking in Fiveways?

    In Zone F, the council lists £1.60 for up to 1 hour, £3.30 for up to 2 hours and £6.40 for up to 4 hours. Prices can be revised, so check the sign or the council’s Zone F page for the current tariff.

    Where is the nearest car park to Fiveways?

    The Preston Park car parks are the closest council-run option, downhill from Fiveways and open daily from 9am to 8pm. The maximum stay is 6 hours, and the council lists a charge of £8.40 for the full six hours as of 2 May 2026. Expect a walk uphill back to the junction.

    Can I park near Fiveways during Pride or other big events?

    It is much harder. The council plans road closures and bay suspensions around Pride weekend and advises people to plan ahead and allow extra time, and for 2026 it ran Park & Ride on the Sunday. On event weekends, consider public transport or Park & Ride instead of looking for a space near Ditchling Road.

    Sources

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