'Axing free parking will kill off town centres at night'

In the face of stiff opposition, Swale Borough Council has agreed to increase ticket prices by 8% to £1.30 an hour and extend the end of the payment period from 6pm to midnight.

But ahead of the changes coming into effect on April 1, concerns have been raised about the impact on many businesses hit by rising costs and falling trade.

The general manager of The Sun Inn pub in Faversham, Brendan McBride, says he is "disappointed" by the changes, which will be enforced in Central car park and Institute Road car park.

"It is another burden passed to hospitality, another cost on the customer and, more than anything else, an inconvenience," he said.

Mr McBride believes the timing of the measures is "poor" for businesses still recovering from Covid and trying to survive amid rising costs.

"It is another cost that is being passed on to consumers, which may be a deterrent to customers," he added.

"It is a slight cost, but if you add those altogether they become significant."

Ossie Altun, who runs Ossie's Fish Bar in Faversham, says he is "concerned" about the changes.

"People walk through the town after parking their cars and we get the benefit of that," he said.

"If you visit the town, it's likely that you won't just buy fish and chips - you will buy something else as well, so it will affect everybody.

"Our peak time is between 6pm and 8pm.

"I very strongly believe it will affect the flow to the town, and if people don't come to the town, they won't visit any of the shops."

Amed Ali, 38, from Fishermans Catch in Broadway, Sheerness, fears the changes spell "bad news" for the town.

"If it's free then of course it's going to make a difference and it's going to have a lot of impact," the chip shop worker said.

"Of course I want it to be free because even if it's one customer using that car park that's good for us.

"6pm is our busy time so it is bad news and they should keep it the same".

Nathan Iliffe - a director at Iliffe & Iliffe Estate Agents in Faversham - says free parking after 6pm is a "lifeline to the evening economy of the town".

"Bars, pubs, restaurants, the fantastic Royal Cinema, events at the Alexander Centre, the Arden Theatre and swimming pool all benefit from their customers and visitors being able to park for free in the evening," he said.

"Introducing evening parking charges could have a detrimental effect on all these businesses and organisations, just when many of them may have just survived the winter months, with higher operating costs, and are trying their best to stay viable and keep their prices down for customers.

"We are lucky to have a busy and vibrant town centre and Swale Borough Council should be doing everything to support that."

"This is an active decision taken by Swale to not support the town the best they can..."

The local authority has blamed funding cuts from central government for the move, but that reasoning does not wash with Mr Iliffe, who believes the charges could also cause issues in residential roads.

"These cuts aren't new," he said.

"Many other local authorities keep evening parking free in town centres to support their local economies.

"This is an active decision taken by Swale to not support the town the best they can.

"Furthermore, many of the parking restrictions for residential on-street parking in zoned permit areas around the town centre end at 5.30pm.

"Has the council considered the effect this change might have on non-residents parking in residential streets in the evening?"

However, Andrew Sach, the co-owner of Furlongs micropub in Preston Street, says most of his customers walk to the venue.

"I can count on one hand the number of people who drive to us," he said.

"I can see it affecting restaurants. but I don't see it impacting us.

"But it's going to jam the roads because people will be parking in residential areas rather than the car parks."

"I am worried it will put people off taking their children swimming..."

Mum-of-three Georgina Watson believes the move will deter people from using Faversham Pools, which benefits from the free evening parking in Central car park.

"I am worried it will put people off taking their children swimming, which is a life-saving skill all children should have access to, not just those that can afford it," she said.

"It means the volunteers that coach at the swimming club will now be out of pocket for giving up their time, and parents who have children who swim three to four times a week for one-and-a-half-hour sessions may have to reconsider how they can keep the training up without it costing a fortune.

"For the week it will cost me £11.70, compared to £1.20 currently, as most swimming club sessions are after 6pm.

A spokesperson for Faversham Swimming Club echoed Mrs Watson's concerns.

"The extension of parking charges into the evenings will mean that our volunteer teachers and coaches will have to pay to park for at least two hours each time, sometimes more than two hours," they said.

"These fees will quickly add up, and the club will have to reimburse volunteers, at considerable overall cost.

"We operate on a non-profit basis, but will have to increase fees to members to cover this - on top of increases to cover higher pool hire costs.

"For swimming clubs like ours where we rely on volunteers to help run it, we are now running the risk that we will not have the volunteers to help and future members will look elsewhere for a club due to the parking charges."

The club has already had to hike membership fees to cover an increase in pool-hire costs, and believes the parking charges could be the "final straw" for many families.

"We have calculated that for a parent of a child in our competitive squad section, the new evening parking charges will result in an additional £40 to 60 per month," they said.

"For those families already affected by the membership fee increases and the continuing cost-of-living crisis, this could well be the final straw for their continued participation."

When the evening parking charges were ratified last month, council leader Mike Baldock (Ind Alliance, Borden and Grove Park) said the authority has faced significant increases in costs in the past year, leading it to make the "difficult decision".

"After years of cuts to our funding from central government we have been left to make some incredibly difficult decisions," he said.

"Despite this, we have agreed a balanced budget that still looks to protect vital services that people value."

A spokesperson for Swale Borough Council says the changes were agreed by councillors following a public consultation.

"There are still costs associated with operating car parks in the evening - such as lighting - and our costs on all services have increased significantly in the last year, and these changes will help us meet these," they added.

"Other parts of Kent charge into the night, and trials in other parts of the borough showed it did not deter use in the evenings.

"We know various clubs use our car parks across the borough throughout the day, and charging has not been a deterrent to these taking place before 6pm."

Additional reporting by Chantal Weller