PARKING at evenings, weekends, bank holidays in borough car parks will no longer be free after Wokingham Borough Council’s executive committee voted to approve the plans.
But there is an exception – prices in Woodley will vary.
Under the plans, car parking charges will remain as normal from 8am to 6pm, at other times it will be a flat rate of £1, with nightly season tickets costing £292 being made available.
However, Cllr Richard Dolinski from Woodley Town Council, managed to get a concession from the borough council.
Woodley Town Council had argued that the flat rate of £1 “will not achieve the additional income required from Woodley’s town car parks to balance Wokingham Borough Council’s books”. It also argued that any changes to the current charging periods would “deter visitors to the town centre”.
The Woodley Town Centre Management Initiative suggested that the daytime hourly rate be 80p and no fees added at evenings and weekends.
Replying, Cllr John Kaiser said: “I understand there is opportunity to be flexible about the car park charging regime across the borough and there is no specific reason for absolute consistency in the charging structure.
“On this basis I am prepared to trial an increase in hourly charging in Woodley car parks in lieu of the evening and Sunday charging.”
This trial will last for 12 months and be reviewed in time for the 2016/17 financial year.
However, despite the executive approving the plans, documents submitted to the councillors revealed that “most responses to the consultation were against the proposals”.
There were:
- Safety impact
- On street parking impact
- Resident impact
- Social impact (eg car boot sales, sporting activities)
- Impact on businesses
- Impact of communities
- Finacial viability
A full report will appear in next Friday’s Wokingham Paper (April 8 edition)
