HASLEMERE'S commuters and the town's workers are set to take the brunt of huge increases in Waverley car parking charges.
While shoppers have been let off the hook with no increases in short-term parking, season-ticket holders are likely to find themselves a staggering extra £100 out of pocket if the proposals are agreed.
The rises, some almost 20 per cent, will affect all the town's pay-and-display car parks as well as other Waverley car parks across the borough.
In the main High Street car park where season tickets are strictly limited, the charge rises from £640 to £740. In Chestnut Avenue an annual season ticket is set to go up from £400 to £450 and in Tanners Lane and Weydown Road, season-ticket holders will have to pay an extra £60 with the prices rising from £360 to £420 a year.
The increases across the borough, which apply to contract parking, season tickets and some long-term parking, will generate an extra £73,000 in revenue for Waverley Borough Council with the total revenue for car parking for the next year of £2,333,000.
The charges if they are agreed at the full Waverley council meeting next week, will come into effect in April.
With fears that the parking increases could persuade even more commuters and long-stay motorists to clog up the town's narrow roads, the president of the Chamber of Trade Melanie Odell told The Herald of her concerns.
"We are very disappointed to hear that Waverley Borough Council is raising the season ticket charges for all the main car parks in the area without any consultation with the Chamber of Trade."
"An increase of £100 in the main High Street car park will either encourage long-stay users to move to Chestnut Avenue, which is already over-used, or worse still, fill the residential areas with day-long parked cars. We feel strongly that Haslemere should have the whole of its car parks and their uses reviewed.
"If the car parks were sensibly designated and priced, the whole situation of on-street parking might be reduced, to the benefit of businesses, residents and the council," she said.
Town mayor Michael Barnes said that car parking availability, parking pricing structure, on and off-street parking and consideration for paying on exit were "all major factors to be considered in redevelopment of our town over the next few years".
"It is important that Haslemere Town Council continues to be involved in discussions with Waverley and Surrey to ensure we have a user-friendly parking system which is cost effective."
The final decision on parking and other increases will be taken at the full council on Wednesday, February 13.