Users of Cantley park will be expected to pay to park and use the facilities.
That news was revealed by Cllr Martin Alder, the executive member for active transport, travel and highways, at last week’s full council meeting of Wokingham Borough council.
He was replying to several questions from members of the public following the news, first reported by Wokingham Today in November 2024, that the council was conducting what was described as a “desktop exercise” into the introduction of parking fees for car parks at the Twyford Road site where none currently exist.
Sue Daykin, representing Wokingham Theatre, asked for more information about the proposed parking charges, describing how it would impact the theatre and the work of its volunteers and patrons.
She questioned whether there would be any exceptions for its volunteers working on productions.
She said: “I should clarify that all our crews (set builders, wardrobe, props, etc) are all volunteers, and spend a great deal of the working week there to create the spectacle which is used by the actors, who are also volunteers.”
She also raised the issue of safeguarding, noting how many parents drop-off and collect their children who take part in youth events at the theatre.
Dan de Verteuil, representing the Bowmen of Burleigh archery club, asked a similar question.
He said: “How does the council plan to mitigate the impact of proposed car parking charges at Cantley park on sports clubs, who rely on their volunteer members’ time to be run sustainably.?”
He noted the club, which is one of the largest archery clubs in Berkshire, with 130 members aged from eight to 80.
He noted how the club already pays to use Cantley Park, and also relies on volunteers.
He said: “We worry about the impact that parking charges will have on our volunteers, potentially with costs going into hundreds or thousands of pounds every year for our volunteers to be at Cantley.
“We worry about the sustainability of the club.”
Giving a similar answer to both questions, Cllr Alder said: “Wokingham Borough, as you may or may not know, is amongst the lowest funded unitary councils in the country, and is currently facing unprecedented financial challenges.
“In the light of these pressures, the council is unable to continue to provide extensive facilities without asking those that use them to contribute to their keep.
“Consequently, the council is proposing to introduce parking charges similar to those currently in use at other leisure sites, like California County Park.
“This will mean that those using the facilities at Cantley Park will need to pay a parking charge during the week and at weekends between 6am and 10pm.
“We already manage free parking for volunteers at the country park, and can see no reason why we can’t explore similar arrangements to accommodate volunteers at Cantley Park.”
He added that any proposed parking fees would be subject to a statutory public consultation prior to their introduction.
