Council Launches Parking Review

[Hereford Voice]

Following a month of free parking in council car parks to support local businesses (charges resume Saturday 25 July), a county-wide review of parking charges has been launched.

The review will look at the parking charges and concessions structure with a view to encouraging people to visit our towns and city centre while making the best use of the available spaces and reducing congestion.

Local stakeholders will be asked for their input as part of the review, which is expected to be completed later this year.

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport explains:

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“It will always be necessary to have some parking charges – to control the availability of spaces and congestion in the very high demand areas and to encourage people to walk or cycle into town where they can.

“The council has not made major changes to its parking charges since February 2016. Exactly what the revised charging structure looks like will depend what stakeholders tell us and may include concessions such as no evening charging, cheaper rates for car parks that are a little further away, and so on. It would be good to find the balance that allows for a quick drop-in or pick-up but generally encourages people to park a little further out and walk in, to spend much more time in our shops and hospitality outlets.

“It is critical we get the views of retailers and our hospitality sector to achieve a balance that works for everyone.”