DETAILS of new parking charges in South Gloucestershire Council car parks have been confirmed.
The council says the charges will “go live” at 22 car parks in the district next spring.
There will be separate long and short stay charges, with the cheapest a stay of up to an hour for 70p in a short stay space, and the most expensive a £9 day rate for long stay car parks.
The council says that “at least 10% of spaces” in short stay car parks will be free for stays of up to 30 minutes.
Blue badge holders will be able to park free in short stay car parks but will have to pay for stays of more than four hours in long stay car parks.
The council says there will be a “validation system” in some car parks so that people using them to visit a GP will not be charged.
The affected car parks are in Thornbury, Staple Hill, Mangotsfield, Yate, Winterbourne, Kingswood (including Kings Chase shopping centre), Filton, Hanham, Warmley and Stoke Gifford
Car parks where charges are coming in
Staple Hill – Page Road/Kendall Road (short stay), Page Road, Byron Place (pictured above) and Haynes Lane (long stay)
Mangotsfield – St James Street (short and long stay spaces)
Yate – Kennedy Way and Yate Leisure Centre South (short stay with validation system)
Winterbourne – Flaxpits Lane (short and long stay spaces)
Kingswood – Kings Chase (short and long stay spaces), Bank Road, South Road and Cecil Road (short stay), Boultons Road (long stay).
Warmley – Warmley Station (short and long stay spaces)
Thornbury – Rock Street and Castle Court (short and long stay spaces); St Mary Street (short stay with validation system)
Stoke Gifford – Park & Ride, Parkway North (short and long stay spaces, including validation system for short stays)
Patchway – The Parade
Filton – Abbey Wood and Church View (long stay)
Hanham – Laburnum Road (short stay)
Short stay charges from 70p to £4.50
Short stay charges will start at 70p for up to an hour, rising to £1.50 for up to two hours, £3.50 for three hours and £4.50 for the four-hour maximum stay
Long stay charges start at £3 for up to four hours and rise to £6 for up to eight hours and £9 for a day.
Season tickets for long stay car parks will be introduced, ranging from £24 for a week to £1,008 for a year.
Park & ride and railway station charges will be fixed at £2.60 per 24 hours, with blue badge holders free.
Payments will be cashless, using cards or an app.
Charges will apply between 8am and 6pm, Mondays to Saturdays, with parking remaining free on Sundays and Bank Holidays, excluding Park and Ride and train station car parks.
The council says not all of the car parks it owns will have charging introduced, and roads near those where charges are brought in will be monitored.
A spokesperson said: “Following careful analysis, it is clear that some of the very smallest and, for example, some Park & Ride facilities, would be unlikely to ever break even against the cost of installing charging facilities, or that to charge for their use would be counter to policies to encourage more use of public transport.”
The authority estimates that the charges will raise more than £800,000 per year.
Council has ‘listened carefully to feedback’
Council cabinet member for communities Sean Rhodes said: “Having listened carefully to the feedback from local residents and businesses about how car park charging can work, we believe this scheme responds positively to the questions people raised about how we will put it into practice.
“We have always said that an element of free parking would remain, and we will keep ten per cent of short stay spaces free for those short trips we all make. At only 70p for the first hour for longer stays, we strongly believe this will not be a barrier to people getting out and about to visit local shops and other businesses, with parking charges in some neighbouring areas more than three times higher.
“We were also clear that we would not want people being charged to park when they visit their GP, for example. The validation system we are proposing will keep parking free for those important trips.
“Blue badge holders will continue to be able to park on-street as they do now, and will still be able to use our car parks for up to four hours for free under the new scheme.
“We know that many residents did not want to have to pay car park charges locally. However, the financial situation faced by the council, and the assumptions built into the previous budget by the previous administration, mean that we have had to take this decision.
“We are all used to paying for parking when we drive almost anywhere outside of South Gloucestershire, but I am pleased that we will be able to set charges as low as possible, while still generating important revenue for the council, which will allow us to protect other vital services.”
For more details visit www.southglos.gov.uk/parking-charges-faqs.