Decision due on parking charges

Charges will be imposed at two Southwell carparks if the move is approved by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Southwell Town Council on Wednesday agreed a proposal for the first two hours in the Church Street and King Street carparks to be free, followed by charges of £1.50 for a further two hours and £1 for every hour after that.

The other option was for an hour’s free parking followed by £1.50 for a further three hours and £1 for every hour after that.

The town council currently pays the district council an annual fee to maintain free parking in the town. This year it paid £4,820.

To retain two hours free parking it will continue to pay the the annual fee, expected to be around £4,940 for 2008-9.

If the town council went for the other option it would not pay the annual fee.

Town councillor Mr Brendan Haigh said he thought it was too late for further negotiations with the district council about the parking charges.

“In principle I object to any sort of charging because there just is not the facility for long- term parking in the town and I think it will have an impact on trading,” he said.

“I think we have gone as far as we can go with opposing charging and we should go along with the option for two hours free parking and continue to pay the fee.”

Mr Peter Pay said parking charges would lead to an increase in on-street parking.

“In a town where roads weren’t designed for the amount of traffic we experience, to have an increase in on-street parking could be a major hazard,” he said.

“I would like people who start to become aware of on-street parking in their roads after the charges start to contact us so we can measure the full implications of the charges.”

Mr Peter Harris said he felt that Southwell had been singled out by the district council.

“An increasing number of district councils are using charges to make money,” he said.

“I predict that we will see the charges continue to go up.

“They are not imposing the charges at Ollerton or Edwinstowe and that is because there is a greater opportunity to make money here.”

The town council agreed to continue to pay the annual fee on condition that the two hours free parking was a long-term arrangement.

Mr Roger Dobson said: “It concerns me from a tourism aspect, and I am concerned about the vibrancy of the town.

“But I’m also concerned that if we don’t take a more positive step and make a decision we could be in a worse situation where we don’t have a choice in what happens.”

The district council will make a final decision on the parking at a meeting on February 28.