Harrogate Borough Council is proposing to make a number of changes to off-street car parking charges and conditions.
The proposals will be put before the Harrogate area committee meeting on the 3rd November. This is a meeting where the Borough Council is duty bound to consult with the County Council as the Highways Agency on parking matters.
If approved, these changes would see a significant rise to the off-street parking charges in Harrogate.
The summary of the proposal
- The currently free to park in Ripon market place a £0.50 charge for up to 30 minutes and a £1.00 charge for up to an hour.
- Implement a 3 hour maximum stay for Marshall Way car park, Ripon
- No longer provide free parking on Sunday up to 1.00 pm at the Jubilee long stay multi-storey car park in Harrogate; Castle Street/Fisher Street in Knaresborough; and St Marygate, the Arcade and Victoria Grove in Ripon
- No longer provide free parking for the first hour at Waterside and York Place, Knaresborough and to introduce a £0.30 charge for the first hour at Waterside, Knaresborough and to charge £0.40 for the first hour at York Place, Knaresborough.
- A £0.10 per hour increase at all car parks, excluding Jubilee and Victoria multi-storey car parks and Station Parade surface level car park in Harrogate
Harrogate Borough Council have said that the changes fall within the draft North Yorkshire County Council Parking Strategy, specifically the need to ensure that on and off street parking provision complement each other.
In a report to be presented before the NYCC the council a number of reasons are given for the proposed changes. In Ripon mention is made of the problem with motorists circling the market place looking for a free parking space and removing free parking will help motorists make “an informed choice” as to where to park.
The report acknowledges that there will be some displacement parking as motorists look to find free parking.
Significantly, no indication has been given in the report on the impact of the already struggling local retail trade in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.
Makes no sense at all, as if people’s budgets ain’t already tight enough without being charged even more on day to day things that we do!! We should never be charged for parking it should be covered in the stupid amount of road tax we pay each year, and they question every day why people ain’t spending any more and why the country has gone down hill, it’s daylight robbery, this country is an absolute joke
Ben, there is no such thing as road tax as it was abolished in 1937 by Churchill.
I simply won’t pay to park. I already pay my council tax to Harrogate Borough Council. I use shops near the free parking disc zones or out of town shop with their own (free) car parks.
On using Tower Street Car Park yesterday I was stunned to note that my usual fee of £4.00 for 12hrs has now increased to £4.80 an increase of 20%.
Councils clearly are not cognisant that we live in straitened times and I am appalled that this considerable increase has been given approval.
I shall be parking elsewhere in future and the Council will be worse off by my £600 per annum and serves them right !