Car Park Changes - Monday 9 January 2023
Background
Proposals were presented in 2022 to: remove free parking periods, introduce tariffs on Sundays and Bank Holidays (excluding Christmas Day) and extend chargeable hours from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. There then followed a period of consultation between 7 July 2022 and 5 August 2022. All feedback from the consultation was carefully considered and recommendations put forward for consideration by the Executive.
Changes to be implemented on Monday 9 January 2023
At a meeting of the Executive on Tuesday, 25 October 2022, the following changes were agreed for implementation on Monday 9 January 2023:
- Free parking periods not removed, but implementation deferred for two years and reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting process.
- Chargeable hours extended from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware.
- Charges introduced for Sunday parking in Bishop's Stortford, Hertford and Ware at a fixed all-day rate of £1.50 to encourage longer stays, support the local economy, deter short stays and encourage more sustainable methods of transport.
- Charges introduced for bank holidays and public holidays parking in all towns at a fixed all-day rate of £1.50 (parking will be free on Christmas Day).
- 20% uplift in tariff applied in Buntingford, Sawbridgeworth and Ware.
None of the above changes are applicable to Jackson Square in Bishop's Stortford.
Below you can find out more about how these changes affect each of the towns, including Q&A’s:
Apton Road, Basbow Lane, Crown Terrace A, Crown Terrace B, Elm Road and Grange Paddocks A
- chargeable hours from 6:30pm to 8:00pm
- Sunday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- Bank holiday and public holiday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- Free parking sessions remain, to be reviewed as part of council budget setting process, no later than June 2024
Link Road, Northgate End
- Sunday increased to £1.50 during chargeable hours
- Bank holiday and public holiday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
Grange Paddocks B
- 2½ hours FREE remains in place Monday to Sunday inclusive.
- After that, Sunday all-day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours.
- Bank holiday and public holiday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- No change to chargeable hours
Jackson Square
- No changes will be implemented until Monday 3 April 2023
Q&A's:
What is happening in Jackson Square car park?
Jackson Square car park will currently remain free of charge after 6.30pm and extend its opening hours to 1am in accordance with our current lease arrangements to serve the Anchor Street cinema and leisure complex.
The Sunday and Bank Holiday flat rate charge of £1.50 will be introduced at Jackson Square from Monday, 3rd April.
Why are you starting to charge for parking on a Sunday?
It was agreed at Full Council that non-statutory services should be paid for by the users and users of East Herts managed car parks on Sundays make no contribution to the upkeep and maintenance of the car park facilities. Free parking was introduced when most shops were closed, but many retailers have now extended their operating hours to Sundays. The proposal was to extend the Monday to Saturday tariff to a Sunday. Following feedback received during consultation, the Executive decided at a meeting on 25 October 2022, to introduce a flat all-day rate of £1.50 instead to encourage longer stays to support the local economy, whilst deterring short stays and help promote more sustainable methods of transport such as walking, cycling and use of public transport.
Link Road and Northgate End already have a flat all-day rate on Sunday, introduced in April 2022, why are you increasing this by 50% now?
The original proposal was to extend the Monday to Saturday tariff structure to a Sunday in all car parks, including Northgate End and Link Road. Following feedback received during consultation, the Executive decided at a meeting on 25 October, not to proceed on that basis but to introduce a flat all-day tariff of £1.50 to car parks in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware on a Sunday instead to encourage longer stays to support the local economy, whilst deterring short stays and help promote more sustainable methods of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.
Why are you extending the chargeable hours to 8:00pm?
There is increasing demand for parking until 8:00pm in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware and at present these users make no financial contribution to the management and upkeep of facilities, which does not support the principle that users pay for non-statutory services.
I heard you were going to remove free parking periods?
The rationale behind the proposal to remove free parking periods was to discourage short stays and encourage use of more sustainable modes for transport. Consultation feedback raised concerns about local economic impacts, particularly the current cost-of-living crisis. The Executive decided to defer this change, which will be reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting processes and adopted no later than June 2024.
Won’t increasing the chargeable hours to 8:00pm and charging for parking on a Sunday just encourage people to park out on the highway instead?
Motorists are likely to park where it is most convenient for them, parking on street during those times already occurs. East Herts District Council will liaise with Hertfordshire Highways and Hertfordshire Police to respond appropriately to any new issues that arise from any changes introduced and will seek solutions to manage any impacts. If you are experiencing a particular issue on a regular basis, please email parking@eastherts.gov.uk.
I’m in a Resident Permit Scheme and am worried that extending the chargeable hours to 8:00pm from 6:30pm will just encourage people to park on our road. How can you guarantee I will have a space paid for under the scheme?
The Council will be monitoring the Resident Parking Zones (RPZ) once the new changes are implemented. We will explore solution where persistent problems occur.
Will these changes impact blue badge holders?
No, the changes being introduced in January 2023 do not change current arrangements for blue badge holders in East Herts managed car parks. You can view the details for each car park here.
Bowling Green Lane Car Park
- No increase in chargeable hours
- Free parking sessions remain, to be reviewed as part of council budget setting process, no later than June 2024
- 20% uplift in tariff
| Mon - Fri (9am - 3pm) | Old tariff | New tariff |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1.5 hours (Free) | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Up to 3 hours | £1.10 | £1.30 |
| Up to 6 hours (all day) | £2.20 | £2.60 |
Q&A's
I heard you were going to remove free parking periods?
The rationale behind the proposal to remove free parking periods was to discourage short stays and encourage use of more sustainable modes for transport. Consultation feedback raised concerns about local economic impacts, particularly the current cost-of-living crisis. The Executive decided to defer this change, which will be reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting processes and adopted no later than June 2024.
Why are you increasing the rates by 20% when you’re not doing this in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware?
The proposals consulted on during the summer (7 July 2022 to 5 August 2022) included the removal of free parking periods and extension of the Monday to Friday charging tariff to include Saturday and Sunday in Bowling Green Lane Car Park.
The rationale behind the proposals was to ensure that car park users contribute financially toward the maintenance and upkeep and at present users of Bowling Green Lane Car Park at the weekends do so free of charge.
Concerns were raised during the consultation about the impact on the local economy and current cost-of-living crisis and the decision has now been taken by the Executive to defer the removal of free parking periods and implementation will be reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting process.
We should note that chargeable hours in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware are being extended to 8:00pm and new all-day tariffs of £1.50 introduced on Sundays.
To mitigate against the decision not to proceed with changes in Buntingford and continue with the current free parking at the weekends, a tariff increase of 20% will be implemented in January 2023, which will increase the cost of a 3 hour stay from £1.10 to £1.30.
Will these changes impact arrangements for blue badge holders?
No, the changes being introduced in January 2023 do not change current arrangements for blue badge holders in East Herts managed car parks. You can view the details for each car park here.
Gascoyne Way, Hartham Common, London Road, Port Vale, St Andrew Street
- chargeable hours from 6:30pm to 8:00pm
- Sunday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- Bank holiday and public holiday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- Free parking sessions remain, to be reviewed as part of council budget setting process, no later than June 2024
Wallfields
- Sunday all-day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- Bank holiday and public holiday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- No change to chargeable hours
Q&A's
Why are you starting to charge for parking on a Sunday?
It was agreed at Full Council that non-statutory services should be paid for by the users and users of East Herts managed car parks on Sundays make no contribution to the upkeep and maintenance of the car park facilities. Free parking was introduced when most shops were closed, but many retailers have now extended their operating hours to Sundays. The proposal was to extend the Monday to Saturday tariff to a Sunday. Following feedback received during consultation, the Executive decided at a meeting on 25 October 2022, to introduce a flat all-day rate of £1.50 instead to encourage longer stays to support the local economy, whilst deterring short stays and help promote more sustainable methods of transport such as walking, cycling and use of public transport.
Why are you extending the chargeable hours to 8:00pm?
There is increasing demand for parking until 8:00pm in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware and at present these users make no financial contribution to the management and upkeep of facilities, which does not support the principle that users pay for non-statutory services.
I heard you were going to remove free parking periods?
The rationale behind the proposal to remove free parking periods was to discourage short stays and encourage use of more sustainable modes for transport. Consultation feedback raised concerns about local economic impacts, particularly the current cost-of-living crisis. The Executive decided to defer this change, which will be reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting processes and adopted no later than June 2024.
Won’t increasing the chargeable hours to 8:00pm and charging for parking on a Sunday just encourage people to park out on the highway instead?
Motorists are likely to park where it is most convenient for them, parking on street during those times already occurs. East Herts District Council will liaise with Hertfordshire Highways and Hertfordshire Police to respond appropriately to any new issues that arise from any changes introduced and will seek solutions to manage any impacts. If you are experiencing a particular issue on a regular basis, please email parking@eastherts.gov.uk.
I’m in a Resident Permit Scheme and am worried that extending the chargeable hours to 8:00pm from 6:30pm will just encourage people to park on our road. How can you guarantee I will have a space paid for under the scheme?
The Council will be monitoring the Resident Parking Zones (RPZ) once the new changes are implemented. We will explore solution where persistent problems occur.
Will these changes impact arrangements for blue badge holders?
No, the changes being introduced in January 2023 do not change current arrangements for blue badge holders in East Herts managed car parks. You can view the details for each car park here.
Bell Street
- No increase in chargeable hours
- Free parking sessions remain, to be reviewed as part of council budget setting process, no later than June 2024
- 20% uplift in tariff
| Mon - Fri (7.30am - 6.30pm) | Old tariff | New tariff |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 30 mins (Free) | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Up to 1 hour | £0.30 | £0.40 |
| Up to 2 hours | £0.60 | £0.70 |
| Up to 3 hours | £1.10 | £1.30 |
| Up to 4 hours | £1.50 | £1.80 |
| Up to 5 hours | £2.20 | £2.60 |
| Up to 11 hours (All Day) | £3.80 | £4.60 |
Q&A's:
I heard you were going to remove free parking periods?
The rationale behind the proposal to remove free parking periods was to discourage short stays and encourage use of more sustainable modes for transport. Consultation feedback raised concerns about local economic impacts, particularly the current cost-of-living crisis. The Executive decided to defer this change, which will be reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting processes and adopted no later than June 2024.
Why are you increasing the rates by 20% when you’re not doing this in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware?
The proposals consulted on during the summer (7 July 2022 to 5 August 2022) included the removal of free parking periods and extension of the Monday to Friday charging tariff to include Saturday and Sunday in Bell Street Car Park.
The rationale behind the proposals was to ensure that car park users contribute financially toward the maintenance and upkeep and at present users of Bell Street car park at the weekends do so free of charge.
Concerns were raised during the consultation about the impact on the local economy and current cost-of-living crisis and the decision has now been taken by the Executive to defer the removal of free parking periods and implementation will be reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting process.
We should note that chargeable hours in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware are being extended to 8:00pm and new all-day tariffs of £1.50 introduced on Sundays.
To mitigate against the decision not to proceed with changes in Sawbridgeworth and continue with the current free parking at the weekends, a tariff increase of 20% will be implemented in January 2023, which will increase the cost of a 1 hour stay from £0.30 to £0.40.
Will these changes impact arrangements for blue badge holders?
No, the changes being introduced in January 2023 do not change current arrangements for blue badge holders in East Herts managed car parks. You can view the details for each car park here.
Kibes Lane North, Library, Amwell, Baldock Street, Priory Street, Kibes Lane South
- Chargeable hours increased to 8:00pm
- Free parking sessions remain, to be reviewed as part of council budget setting process, no later than June 2024
- Sunday all-day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- Bank holiday and public holiday all day tariff £1.50 during chargeable hours
- 20% uplift in tariff
| Car Park | Mon - Sat (7.30am - 6.30pm) | Mon - Sat (7.30am - 8pm) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kibes Lane North, Library | Up to 30 mins (Free) | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Up to 1 hour | £0.70 | £0.80 | ||
| Up to 2 hours | £1.30 | £1.60 | ||
| Up to 3 hours | £1.60 | £1.90 | ||
| Up to 4 hours | £2.20 | £2.60 | ||
| Up to 5 hours | £3.00 | £3.60 | ||
| Amwell, Baldock Street, Priory Street | Up to 30 mins (Free) | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Up to 1 hour | £0.70 | £0.80 | ||
| Up to 2 hours | £1.30 | £1.60 | ||
| Up to 3 hours | £1.60 | £1.90 | ||
| Up to 4 hours | £2.20 | £2.60 | ||
| Up to 5 hours | £3.00 | £3.60 | ||
| Up to 11 hours (All Day) | £3.80 | £4.60 | ||
| Kibes Lane South | Up to 30 mins (Free) | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Up to 5 hours | £3.00 | £3.60 | ||
| Up to 11 hours (All Day) | £3.80 | £4.60 | ||
Q&A's
Why are you starting to charge for parking on a Sunday?
It was agreed at Full Council that non-statutory services should be paid for by the users and users of East Herts managed car parks on Sundays make no contribution to the upkeep and maintenance of the car park facilities. Free parking was introduced when most shops were closed, but many retailers have now extended their operating hours to Sundays. The proposal was to extend the Monday to Saturday tariff to a Sunday. Following feedback received during consultation, the Executive decided at a meeting on 25 October 2022, to introduce a flat all-day rate of £1.50 instead to encourage longer stays to support the local economy, whilst deterring short stays and help promote more sustainable methods of transport such as walking, cycling and use of public transport.
Why are you extending the chargeable hours to 8:00pm?
There is increasing demand for parking until 8:00pm in the main towns of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware and at present these users make no financial contribution to the management and upkeep of facilities, which does not support the principle that users pay for non-statutory services.
I heard you were going to remove free parking periods?
The rationale behind the proposal to remove free parking periods was to discourage short stays and encourage use of more sustainable modes for transport. Consultation feedback raised concerns about local economic impacts, particularly the current cost-of-living crisis. The Executive decided to defer this change, which will be reviewed as part of the council’s budget setting processes and adopted no later than June 2024.
Won’t increasing the chargeable hours to 8:00pm and charging for parking on a Sunday just encourage people to park out on the highway instead?
Motorists are likely to park where it is most convenient for them, parking on street during those times already occurs. East Herts District Council will liaise with Hertfordshire Highways and Hertfordshire Police to respond appropriately to any new issues that arise from any changes introduced and will seek solutions to manage any impacts. If you are experiencing a particular issue on a regular basis, please email parking@eastherts.gov.uk.
I’m in a Resident Permit Scheme and am worried that extending the chargeable hours to 8:00pm from 6:30pm will just encourage people to park on our road. How can you guarantee I will have a space paid for under the scheme?
The Council will be monitoring the Resident Parking Zones (RPZ) once the new changes are implemented. We will explore solution where persistent problems occur.
Will these changes impact arrangements for blue badge holders?
No, the changes being introduced in January 2023 do not change current arrangements for blue badge holders in East Herts managed car parks. You can view the details for each car park here.
