Town centre parking charges set to ‘almost’ double

ESCC plan first increase in a decade

Motorists should brace themselves for a doubling of some parking charges if plans by East Sussex County Council to increase the cost of on-street parking for the first time in more than a decade are approved by a senior councillor later this month.

Councillor Claire Dowling, lead member for transport and environment, will be asked to approve changes to the cost of parking permits and pay and display charges at a meeting next Monday (January 20th).

The proposals follow a public consultation into measures aimed at reducing congestion and improving air quality in East Sussex’s busy town centres by managing demand for parking and encouraging the use of more sustainable methods of transport.

If approved, residents’ permits would be based on CO2 emissions and standardised across Lewes, Eastbourne and Hastings for the first time, while on-street hourly pay and display tariffs would increase by between 20p and £1.90.

The increased charges would be used to cover the cost of the parking scheme, with any surplus ring-fenced for use on transport and highways initiatives, such as to contribute to the cost of concessionary bus passes and subsidised bus services.

Rupert Clubb, director for transport and environment, said: “With car ownership increasing, parking pressures can exacerbate congestion in our town centres and significantly reduce air quality.

“These proposals are about influencing driver behaviour and encouraging people to consider alternative forms of transport.

“Changes to permit charges would result in a fairer system in which permits cost the same regardless of where in the county you live, with motorists driving low emission vehicles paying less.”

He added: “Increasing on-street car parking charges would also encourage motorists to use town centre car parks rather than on-street spaces, helping us better manage demand.”

There are more than 5,000 spaces in off-street car parks in Hastings, Eastbourne and Lewes that are operated by district and borough councils and are not part of the parking charge review and these would offer cheaper and longer stay options.

Higher charges for on-street parking would be expected to lead to more of a ‘churn’ effect, where motorists park for short periods, leading to an increased turnover of spaces and footfall, which can benefit the economy.

If approved, the new parking charges are likely to come into effect by the end of April and be subject to an annual review.

Full details of the proposal are available at https://democracy.eastsussex.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=177&MId=4259&Ver=4

Under the proposals, charges for first residents’ parking permits in Hastings would remain the same or reduce for residents with a vehicle in car tax bands A to F.

Charges for on-street parking across Hastings, Eastbourne and Lewes would almost double under the proposals, following 11 years of no significant increases.

5 thoughts on “Town centre parking charges set to ‘almost’ double

  1. I can park in Nottinghill in London cheaper than in Hastings old town.
    £1.80 an hour is already extortionate and all an increase will do is stop people coming to town to shop and kill off the town I dont think that’s desirable to help a poor town

  2. It just does not make sense to increase the parking as it is going to deter people coming to the town to shop.It does not take a genius to see that it is going to have a detrimental effect on the town.

  3. I agree, visitors permits are already very expensive. This deters my relatives with young children staying (leaving their car parked, thus no emissions) and spending money in the town.

  4. Pingback: Hastings In Focus

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