23 Oct 2026
A much-heralded review of Harpenden’s controversial on-street parking charges may not happen until next year, SADC has revealed.
Back in February, Liberal Democrats announced plans to create approximately 40 one-hour free on-street parking spots within minutes of Harpenden High Street.
The proposed change came after a year of monitoring and data-gathering by the district council, followed by a review of that information, as well as listening to the views of residents and businesses, including respondents to a survey by Harpenden Town Council.
The one-hour free bays were proposed for Arden Grove, Southdown Road, Thompsons Close and Victoria Road, and would offer more than 1,000 hours a week of extra free parking for Harpenden.
Cllr Helen Campbell, chair of SADC’s public realm committee and lead on parking, said after a formal advertising period, proposals would be implemented in the early summer.
But this week the district council said any changes would require a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), a legal road rule issued by a local authority or transport body under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
TROs are submitted to Herts County Council in bulk, usually by the end of the financial year in March, and any proposals would need to follow a further public consultation.
This means the one-hour parking will not be introduced until later in 2027, well over a year since the Lib Dems’ original announcement.
The proposals to introduce parking charges were initially revealed by the St Albans Times after we picked through the minutiae of council budget proposals and discovered a few buried lines about introducing fees in bays which had previously been completely free for one or two hours.
The fees have been opposed by local businesses and residents, the Harpenden Society, Harpenden Town Council and Conservative opposition councillors, with an ongoing campaign calling for them to be reversed or amended.
The Lib Dem administration at SADC said charging to park in Harpenden was necessary to off-set the council’s on-street car parking services budget, which had been running at a deficit, and towards greater levels of parking enforcement.
Last year Harpenden Town Council commissioned independent public sector research organisation Public Perspectives to gather the opinions of residents and businesses on accessing and visiting the town centre, including the consequences of changes to the limited waiting parking bays.
The research revealed there were less visits to the town centre and less time and money spent compared to a year ago, with parking charges the most commonly cited reasons for changes in use or experience of the town centre.
Nancy Cusenza, showroom manager at The Cotswold Company in Harpenden, has more than 35 years of retail experience, including the past five in the town.
She said: “I care greatly about our town centre and the success of our local businesses. Since the introduction of paid parking, many of us have noticed a decline in footfall.
“While the free 30-minute parking option is helpful for quick visits, it often doesn’t allow enough time for customers to browse our fantastic independent stores, enjoy a coffee, or spend time making considered purchases with sales teams.
“At The Cotswold Company we use a footfall counter in our showroom. While visitor numbers may be lower than we would like, our conversion rate remains one of the strongest in the business – showing that when customers do visit Harpenden, they are keen to shop.”
SADC strategic director for community, place and delivery Chris Traill explained why there has been a delay in implementing the changes.
“An informal consultation was carried out on proposals to introduce one-hour free bays in several locations around Harpenden.
“Informal consultations are an essential tool in the development of Traffic Regulation Orders because they provide a mechanism to gauge public opinion on proposed schemes, and collect information and feedback.
“A high percentage of the responses received made general comments about parking rather than on the actual changes being proposed.
“As a result, it was necessary to look at the proposals again, adding additional time to the process.
“The introduction of one-hour limited parking bays is one of several Traffic Order projects being delivered this year. We have looked at further possible locations for the placement of such bays, and once finalised, the proposed changes will be subject to further public consultation.
“As with any change or implementation of parking restrictions, we need to follow the statutory procedure.
“We anticipate a further informal consultation to commence in November.
“Subject to the feedback we receive, we plan to start the formal consultation in February with an anticipated implementation of the new bays in the spring.”
