Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1.    That all charges relating to parking at all Countryside Estate car parks currently managed under lease by Surrey Wildlife Trust be removed, with effect from 1 April 2020 be agreed.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Highways, Transport and Environment, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Fire and Resilience, the development and implementation of a plan to deliver recommendation 1.

3.    That proposals be developed for the introduction of a voluntary payment scheme be agreed.

Reason for decision:

The Countryside Estate service operated 15 car parks across the county, where charges were made for parking to residents and visitors wishing to access the countryside.  Following the implementation of the charges in July 2018 it was agreed that a review of the impact of car park charging would be undertaken after 12 months of operation.  This review has concluded that the original policy of charging visitors to park when visiting the countryside estate had not delivered the significant financial contribution and was no longer aligned with the council’s overarching Vision 2030.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Fire & Resilience introduced a report that reviewed the introduction of car park charging at the five busiest country sites, equating to 15 of the 30 car parks across the countryside estate to generate new investment in Surrey’s countryside.   This review had shown that despite making a small surplus the first year of operations had not delivered the significant contribution as expected.

Mrs Hazel Watson addressed the meeting and welcomed the proposal to stop charging and that the charges were putting people off of visiting the countryside.  She also spoke of her prediction of the fall in numbers attending the car parks and that visitors were parking outside in resident areas rather than pay as well as the wasted money putting charging in place.  The Leader of the council responded that the proposals were scrutinised back in 2017 by the select committee and that with the exception of one abstention made a unanimous decision to support.  He also spoke of the motivation for the decision which was to make income for the management of the countryside estate.  However, the council now had more flexibility and there was a real desire to promote the health and wellbeing of residents.

The Cabinet Member for Highways confirmed that inactive machines could be reused in the parking service.

The Deputy Leader reiterated points made by the Leader in that the council was in a different place in 2017 when the decision was made and that the focus now was on the health and wellbeing of residents of which access to the countryside was a part of that.  He also emphasised that Newlands Corner was outside of this report as it was privately owned.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the removal of all charges relating to parking at all Countryside Estate car parks currently managed under lease by Surrey Wildlife Trust, with effect from 1 April 2020 be agreed.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Highways, Transport and Environment, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Fire and Resilience, the development and implementation of a plan to deliver recommendation 1.

3.    That proposals be developed for the introduction of a voluntary payment scheme be agreed.

The decision was unanimous.

Reason for decision:

The Countryside Estate service operated 15 car parks across the county, where charges were made for parking to residents and visitors wishing to access the countryside.  Following the implementation of the charges in July 2018 it was agreed that a review of the impact of car park charging would be undertaken after 12 months of operation.  This review has concluded that the original policy of charging visitors to park when visiting the countryside estate had not delivered the significant financial contribution and was no longer aligned with the council’s overarching Vision 2030.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee]