CHARGES in some car parks in Farnham are going DOWN – to try to coax motorists away from the already-crowded town centre.

The move was outlined to the Herald by Waverley Borough Council deputy leader Cllr Paul Follows and the portfolio holder for finance, assets and commercial services Cllr Mark Merryweather.

They said the council had looked at car park use ‘in OCD detail’ as they were loathe to introduce a flat across-the-board increase, although the authority needed to raise more capital to help offset the reduction of support from central government.

“Some car park charges have not increased for three years – and it’s four years in some cases,” said Cllr Follows.

“We found the town-centre car parks in Farnham were jammed. But not by shoppers – there are relatively few drivers parking for one or two hours.

“The spaces are being taken by people who work in town, and park all day, or in the case of the car parks near the station, by commuters.

“We need to free up spaces in the town centre for shoppers.

“So we have frozen charges for one hour, and reduced the fee for the Riverside car parks, which are relatively empty and would be perfect for people who want to park all day.”

There are no reductions for any parking in Haslemere – although one-hour tariffs remain frozen.

In the Riverside 3 car park in Farnham, a short walk from the town centre, prices have been frozen for one and two hours, jump by 20p for three hours to £2, leap by a hefty 60p for four hours to £3 – but that is the maximum charge, with cars being allowed to remain in the car park for 24 hours for the same price.

Motorists who leave their vehicles in the Central car park while they are at work face paying 70p extra for eight hours, rising to £10.50, and £1 more for nine hours, an increase to £12.

People who want to park for four hours – to perhaps go shopping and have a meal – face paying up to £5. The most expensive places to park for that time will be Central and Lower Hart, and cheapest at £2.60 at Riverside 2.

In Haslemere, while one-hour prices are frozen, parking for two hours will cost an extra 10p in all the car parks.

Parking in Weydon Road remains £5 for three hours or longer during the week, and rising 20p to £3.20 at weekends.

Three-hour parking in Tanners Lane increases by 30p to £4.50.

Haslemere Conservative councillor Robert Knowles said he feared the “substantial” increase in parking for eight or nine hours would force shop workers to shun car parks and instead find places to park on roads, “causing unnecessary congestion”.

Council leader John Ward said: “Parking charges are our only significant source of revenue so must share the pain.

“We have listened to residents. They said they preferred an increase in parking to an increase in council tax.”