CAR parking charges are set to rise in Alton and Petersfield from April 1, but many feel the two towns are once again being used as a 'cash cow' to boost East Hampshire District Council coffers. Open to public consultation until February 22, the proposals in EHDC's car park review would see prices soar up to 33 per cent. This, coupled with an extension to seven-day-a- week charging in car parks, has been estimated to generate £170,000. The Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) believes the increased charges will have an unfair and detrimental effect on the time visitors stay in the town, and the Alton Society has described it as "definite extra tax charges, well beyond any measure of inflation". The proposals will see an increase of 33 per cent on one-hour charges which will rise from 30p to 40p with a two-hour stay increasing 29 per cent from 70p to 90p. All other charges will increase 20 per cent. In Alton the Mount Pleasant, Victoria Road and Vicarage Hill car parks will cost slightly less than the town centre car parks for longer stay – four hours will stand at £2 (compared to £2.40 in the town centre), five hours will be £2.40 (£3), nine hours (all day) £4.80 (£6). Season tickets show an increase of up to 31 per cent – it is recommended that a six-monthly season ticket will cost up to £420, depending on the location of the car park, and up to £800 for a year. The proposed increases will, according to EHDC's cabinet, bring East Hampshire's fee-paying car parks in line with those in other local authority areas. It is also intended to introduce Sunday and Bank Holiday charging, between 10am and 4pm, in a bid to standardise the charging structure in terms of "staffing, programming and maintenance of machines, policing and dealing with non- compliance". In a report to Cabinet, EHDC facilities manager Jon Sanders pointed out that the retail offering on non- charging days is now much improved from when car park charging was last reviewed in December 2003. "Events such as the farmers' markets and changes to shop opening times mean that the two town centres (Alton and Petersfield) are now more vibrant at these times and as a result the maintenance and control of car parks is now necessary at these times," said Mr Sanders. Some would take a different view, believing that increased prosperity and activity should be nurtured and encouraged rather than penalised. Alton Society acting chairman, Edward Hepper, believes that it would encourage trade if car parking charges were free, at least for the first hour. Speaking on behalf of the local business community, ACCI president, Steve Daley, agreed. He told The Herald: "The proposed price rises are disproportionate to the length of stay. If you are going to increase the cost of a one-hour stay to 40p then the price of two hours should be 80p or less, otherwise there is no value put on staying longer. We should be offering a discount to encourage people to stay in town longer." He is angry also over EHDC's apparent disregard for the effort Alton is putting into attracting visitors to the town. "Charging on Sundays and bank holidays is singularly unhelpful when we are trying to turn Alton into an attractive venue and to encourage people to attend events – this kind of decision will simply serve to stifle local enterprise and initiative," he said. Mr Daley is equally unimpressed by an apparent continuing determination on behalf of EHDC to milk Alton and Petersfield while ignoring the rest of the district. He fails to see why Alton and Petersfield are the only North East Hampshire towns having to levy a car parking tariff when Bordon/Whitehill is now recognised as the most highly populated area in the district. He does not accept the argument that because car parks in Alton and Petersfield are well used an increase in fees will benefit local businesses and retailers by freeing up parking space. Nor does he believe that hiking up car parking charges will force greater use of public transport and car sharing. Concerned over the impact on local business, Steve Daley believes EHDC should "rethink its policy". He suggests councillors should enter into a dialogue with all interested parties with a view to coming up with a more sensible way forward.
