Herefordshire Council has today announced its new car parking charges structure for the forthcoming year.
Here is how much income Herefordshire Council made from parking charges in 2019/20.
Parking charges revamped in Herefordshire
New charge structure will make it easier to find a space
The car parking charge structure in Herefordshire is to be simplified, making it easier than ever for you to make an informed decision about where best to park your car.
The new structure, which will see the price of parking divided into bands relative to proximity to the City or town centre, will incentivise people looking for longer-term parking to park further from the centre – giving you the option to balance spending less on parking with a short walk, and ensuring there are plenty of spaces available in the centre for short term users.
Parking will also be free in all market towns on Sundays and after 6pm every day, while in Hereford the charged parking period has been reduced down by two hours and will now be free after 8pm every day.
The new charges, which will be easy to understand, will take effect in May and more details of charges at each location can be found on the Herefordshire Council website.
Effectively managing the demand for parking spaces allows us to ensure the turnover of spaces to help with availability, reduce congestion and improve air quality. We want our historic city and town centres to be clean, vibrant and busy centres where people can meet, shop, eat and work.
Parking charges have not been increased in five years (since 2016). The council has listened to key stakeholders around the county and considered the revised parking structure very carefully to attain a balance that encourages more active travel without deterring visitors.
Car parking charges in Herefordshire are comparable with those in neighbouring counties, and are there to ensure that there are spaces available when people need to use them. The new banding structure will mean that parking slightly further from the city or town centre saves a bit of money on the price of parking while increasing footfall which supports local businesses.
We want people who come to shop or enjoy local hospitality to consider staying for longer by parking in one of our car parks that are a short walk from the centre so they don’t have to rush their day or evening out. This keeps spaces available in the centre of town for those who want a short stay.
Alongside necessary increases we have brought in free Sundays for all the market towns and have frozen prices at Merton Meadow in Hereford which is our largest car park out of the town centre, reduced prices at St Martins (swimming pool) from £1.20 per hour to £1.00 and extended the off peak season ticket to be available to all Market towns. We also offer an off peak hours season ticket which allows parking in any car park between 5pm and 9am for £75 per year or £25 per quarter.
We are continually listening to our key stakeholders around any improvements, or alternatives, that they may suggest. Should we need to conduct a review of how the new system is working in the near future then we will do that.
The funds generated from parking charges are used to maintain local car parks, and any surplus funds provide vital contributions to other important services for local people, including school transport and public transport.
