Concerns over 300% price increase at car park

Businesses in a West Sussex town fear a car park increasing its charges by 294% will reduce footfall in the town centre.

Twelve car parks in Horsham will see an increase on Sundays of at least £2.20 from April next year - but Piries Place in the town centre will see the largest rise from £1.70 to £6.70 to park all day.

Business owners near the car park said their customers used it regularly and the increase would deter people from going to Horsham in the future.

Horsham District Council said the increase is the first in two years but it had to make “tough decisions” to avoid cutting essential services.

Angie Maskell, owner of clothing store Deja Style, said: “I don’t think it’s constructive for businesses... People will think twice about going shopping on a Sunday which isn’t very fair to the business owners of Horsham.”

The rise is expected to bring in an extra £134,000 per year as the local authority looks to solve its financial problems.

Horsham District Council is expected to end the 2024/25 year with a £349,000 surplus, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

For the Monday to Saturday increases, the council will add between 10p to 30p on a stay of up to two hours.

Vincent Cassar, who has owned Town and Country Weigh in East Street for 31 years, said: “I think they [the charges] are too much.

“Maybe make them a little bit more but now people will be put off and go somewhere else.”

Shopper Morris Huggett said: “It’s absolutely disgraceful, it’s ludicrous. They’re keeping people away from Horsham when they should be attracting them.

"They should be lowering the costs, not increasing them."

The council said it understood the concern among residents and businesses.

A spokesperson added: “Sunday charges are being introduced to replace the single fixed fee that has been in place for many years.

"This change reflects the fact that operational costs on Sundays are the same as any other day of the week.

“While we have set Sunday tariffs significantly lower than weekday rates, it's important to acknowledge that visitor numbers are no longer reduced on Sundays.”

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