FARNHAM Chamber of Commerce has urged Waverley Borough Council to scrap “totally unacceptable” plans to hike car parking charges for the second time in 12 months.

Waverley’s decision-making executive committee is poised to vote on proposals to break the £1 barrier (now 90p) for one hour’s parking in many of Waverley’s best-used car parks, including Lower Hart (Waitrose) and Central in Farnham, on February 7.

The planned hikes have already attracted criticism from the Haslemere Chamber of Commerce as well as Waverley’s own ‘watchdog’ overview and scrutiny committee - and this week Farnham business-owners also weighed into the debate.

Richie Ellmer, president of the Farnham Chamber of Commerce, told The Herald: “We are currently talking to our members about Waverley’s proposed car parking increases and so far, the reaction has been that the suggestion is totally unacceptable.

“Waverley states in its economic strategy that one of their objectives is to support businesses and that ‘The retail sector is of particular importance to Waverley as it plays a major role in the vitality and attractiveness of the borough’s town centres’.

“It is therefore difficult to see how a hike in parking will support businesses.

“We are concerned that an increase in the price of short-term parking will lead more people to shop or use services out of town where parking is free.

“The proposal is a worry for our town centre businesses and retailers and so we urge Waverley to rethink its strategy for car parking charges so as to bring it into line with their economic strategy.”

The proposed increases, which affect 11 of Waverley’s 26 car parks, are just some of a number of cost-cutting, income-generating schemes put forward to enable Waverley to offset a forecast budget shortfall for 2017 to 2018 of £1.15 million.

However, it comes just 12 months after Waverley last increased parking charges at its pay and display car parks, by an average of 7.5 per cent in Farnham, last January.