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Plans for new parking charges raise concerns

Jo Thewlis/BBC Cars are parked in bays on either side of Butts Land car park in Aylsham. Jo Thewlis/BBC
The council will meet this year to discuss the proposals

Proposals for new parking charges in a market town could damage trade, locals have said.

Broadland District Council is considering introducing pay and display schemes in its car parks in Aylsham and Reepham in Norfolk.

It hoped the plans would stop drivers blocking spaces by parking all day and encourage turnover to free up spots for shoppers.

Ahead of a council meeting in December to consider the charges, residents and visitors spoke to the BBC about their concerns.

The proposed tariffs could be introduced at:

  • Station Road car park in Reepham
  • Burgh Road in Aylsham
  • Butts Land in Aylsham

It would include a free first hour, to allow shoppers to make a short visit.

An all-day stay would cost £5 with no charges levied between 18:00 and 08:00.

Jo Thewlis/BBC Martin Skoyles has short, grey hair and a small, grey beard. He is wearing a blue jumper with a striped blue shirt underneath. He is standing in Aylsham market place with parked cars and shops behind him.Jo Thewlis/BBC
Martin Skoyles, 69, from Aylsham said parking charges would damage businesses in the town

Martin Skoyles, 69, from Aylsham, said parking charges would be damaging for the town.

"There's no need for it," he said.

"It would hurt the shopping and the pubs. People would not come to the town if they had to pay for it.

"There are plenty of other towns around where you've got a lot more choice."

Jo Thewlis/BBC Charlotte Reed has long, blonde hair tied in a pony tail. She is smiling at the camera, wearing a cream jumper and a pink, blue and cream scarf wrapped around her neck. Behind her there are parked cars in the Butts Lane car parkJo Thewlis/BBC
Charlotte Reed, 39, said a free hour would not be enough to enjoy meeting friends in Aylsham

Charlotte Reed, 39, from Old Catton, said she came to Aylsham because of the free parking.

"You can come in, you can mooch around town, you can meet up with friends," she said.

"You don't have to worry about it.

"If you wanted to go for lunch or even just having a mooch around the shops or an appointment, an hour wouldn't be enough."

Jo Thewlis/BBC Keith Reeves has short white hair and is wearing a black leather jacket with a blue shirt underneath. He is standing in Aylsham market place, smiling at the camera with shops and parked cars behind him.Jo Thewlis/BBC
Keith Reeves, 77, said people expect to pay to park their cars

Keith Reeves, 77, from Blickling said he was in favour of the changes.

"We all expect it everywhere we go these days so if you're going to use a car, then you might as well pay to park it," he said.

"People that come into Aylsham come for a reason. Everyone needs to park somewhere so paying I don’t think's going to be the problem.

"I go into Norwich regularly and I expect to be paying £3, £4, £5 for my visit."

Jo Thewlis/BBC Brenda has long white hair pulled back from her face. She is wearing a black jacket with a furry collar and a green checked shirt underneath. She is looking at the camera with trees and parked cars behind her.Jo Thewlis/BBC
Brenda Botham said people already paid enough council tax to cover the cost of car parking

Brenda Botham, 80, lives in Aylsham and said she is against the plans.

"We pay our council tax so why should anybody have to pay for car parking?" she said.

"We pay enough money anyway.

"Aylsham is getting bigger, and a lot of people need cars; the elderly, the young mothers with their children and it stops you from doing things."

Jo Thewlis/BBC Jane Crawford has chin-length, blonde hair pulled back from her face. She is wearing a green padded jacket with a hood. She is looking into the camera with parked cars behind her.Jo Thewlis/BBC
Jane Crawford, 65, said parking charges could force drivers to park on nearby residential roads

Jane Crawford, 65, from Aylsham, said the charges could cause parking problems elsewhere.

"I think to charge will push people onto the residential roads actually which is not the best idea," she said.

'Right thing to do'

Councillor Martin Booth, portfolio holder for economic development at Broadland District Council, said the charges were needed to bring shoppers into the town centres.

"We want to stop the car park being blocked by people being there all day and going to the city on the bus," he said.

"The town centre is suffering because people can’t get in to do their shopping.

"We want to help the town centres both in Reepham and Aylsham. It’s the right thing to do."

Broadland District councillors will consider the charges at their full meeting in December.

If approved, it is hoped the new scheme will be introduced in 2025.

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