05 Nov 2024
Posted at 11:19
in Harpenden
Fresh changes to controversial plans to charge for on-street parking in Harpenden have been announced in the wake of a public consultation.
The proposals come in the wake of feedback from residents, retailers, the town council and the Harpenden Society.
The original proposals included a charge of £2.50 an hour for a maximum two-hour stay and two free parking sessions of up to 20 minutes each per vehicle per day.
Revisions to the proposals have now been put forward:
- Restrictions to start from 9am rather than 8.30am in Harpenden to ensure there is minimal impact on morning school runs;
- The two 20-minute free parking sessions to be replaced with one 30-minute free session;
- Charging periods to be made available in blocks of 30 minutes rather than one-hour long sessions to reduce the potential cost of brief stops. It means the charge for a one-hour stay, including the free period, would be £1.25 while the maximum two-hour cost would be £3.75, including the free period;
- Five limited waiting bays in Leyton Green, Harpenden, to be converted into resident parking bays for the benefit of local households.
There will be no charges for parking outside the time frame of 9am-6pm.
Cllr Helen Campbell, chair of SADC’s public realm committee and lead for car parking, said: “The original proposals generated considerable interest and debate.
“We have listened carefully to people’s concerns, including those expressed in a petition, and met with Harpenden Town Council.”
Although officers from SADC have met with officers from HTC, the St Albans Times believes no meetings have taken place between councillors from each authority.
Cllr Campbell added: “We are now putting forward some modifications to the proposals. This includes allowing for free parking for a half-hour every day which will be of great benefit to people making a quick trip to the shops.
“We know that some people would prefer to retain the current system of no charge at all for a full two hours, but we hope they can understand that is not sustainable in the current financial climate.
“Our car parking services have made accumulated losses of around £1.5 million over the past four years and that cannot continue at a time when local authority budgets are under so much pressure.
“We are simply asking motorists who park in high-demand bays to make a small contribution towards the many car parking costs we are faced with, such as staffing, enforcement, equipment, signage and maintenance.
“Our aim is to move the parking services budget towards the break-even point so that it no longer needs to be subsidised by the wider council budget, money that could be spent on priorities such as creating more social housing or helping the homeless.
“The main objection to the changes, raised in the consultation, was concern that they could have an adverse effect on businesses and the vibrancy of the high street, but we have seen no evidence to support this. In fact, a quicker turnover at the bays, brought about by charging, could be helpful to businesses.”
The changes would be authorised by a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and a final decision on whether to issue a TRO will be made by the council’s strategic director of community and place delivery in consultation with Cllr Campbell.
Those wishing to comment on the revised proposals will be given the opportunity to air their views during a 21-day period starting on November 11. The consultation will appear here along with the report on the modified proposals. If the changes go ahead, they are likely to be implemented in early 2025.
