News

Car parking charges going up in Rushmoor

July 06, 2010

THE cost of car parking in Aldershot and Farnborough is going up by 20%, Rushmoor Borough Council has said.

For the first time in six years, the local authority has upped its hourly parking charge by 10p, so car parks across the borough that are at the moment 40 or 50p per hour will be one-quarter and one-fifth more expensive respectively from August 1.

The daily charge is also set to go up from £3.20 to £3.60, while the evening 50p charge and £1 overnight charge will be merged into a £1 charge.

Mike Bamber, the council’s head of parking, said the charges had been delayed since November 2008 when the recession began to bite.

They will now come into force next month after the cabinet agreed in June to implement the increases.

But with the economy recovering and Farnborough and Aldershot town centres set to get a lot more shops and restaurants as part of regeneration, there will probably not be another six-year gap before the next rise.

Mr Bamber said it was too early to predict when that would come, but said he would be surprised if it was that long again.

He said: “Six years is a long time to be fair. It’s not for me to say when the next increase will be but if it’s another six years I’d be surprised.”

Mr Bamber said that a 10p increase in the rate every other year may become the norm.

Farnborough’s Princes Mead car park, used by customers and staff at the 24-hour Asda store, will have an hourly rate all night so as not to force shoppers just popping in to pay the overnight charge.

The council expects to earn an extra £182,000 a year from the increases.

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To be fair to the Council, it was the Government that recommended councils invest in the icelandic banks as they would get such a great return on their money. Clearly, this wasn't quite the case!

Evilbadgerette, Aldershot
15/07/2010 at 13:51

Why anyone wants to visit Farnborough or Aldershot is a mystery, there's nothing worth going for. When you've got Basingstoke just down the road, you don't mind paying parking there plenty there. Parking in Farnborough & Aldershot should be free that might encourage a few more people. Don't put charges up till we have more in the towns to offer. What are the Council doing !!

wendywoo, Cove
15/07/2010 at 10:54

council has to find the money from some where?

http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s/2072302_loose_roof_tiles_mean_emergency_car_park_repairs

as it is they put quite a lot of our council tax money into the icelantic bank and we all know what happerned their don't we?

council are good at losing and wasting our money are they not?

Aldershot Born
14/07/2010 at 17:35

Dan B is right. Just look at some of the scrapes on the walls.

R Cook
14/07/2010 at 12:13

Going off on a slight tangent, I can't be the only one that thinks that whoever designs most car parks are doing whatever they can to jam as many spaces in as possible without considering the size of a regular family car? Even with my tiddly Fiesta if you park in a space with two saloons/4x4s parked either side it can be a pain to open the door. I don't mind paying a reasonable charge as long as the experience of finding a space and getting in and out is bearable.

Costco in Reading is the only place I can think of that has marked spaces out in a sensible size. The Aldershot High Street multistorey and Atrium in Camberley are good adverts for shopping online wherever possible!

Dan B, North Camp
12/07/2010 at 15:10

I've just got back from a little road trip around parts of the UK I had not been to before, on passing through I ended up parking.

I went to the trafford centre in manchester, over 200 shop, in the range of 50 food outlets, laser quest, mini golf, several hotels, cinema, etc, guess the all day parking charges ???? thats right FREE!!!

I also visited a quant little town called Tetford, similar quality of shops to Aldershot, hardly a vacant shop unit and guess what, every car park was FREE !!!!

Is there a pattern emerging here that if the council wants to boost shoppers in a town, and therefore it encouraged more shops to want to be in the town because there are more customers, maybe the carparking should be free?

PDLH
12/07/2010 at 08:01

@dave2009 - I second your comment.

Well folks, year after year Rushmoor residents VOTE IN Conservative Councillors they must be doing something right?!!! Perhaps Aldershot News & Mail could investigate and let us know what that is.

I have yet to come across someone who has something nice to say about Rushmoor and its Council.

unhappy (now disgusted)
11/07/2010 at 19:54

what a load of rubbish, Aldershot had loads of fee on road parking, this has all been converted to meter paying. So to say no rises in in 6 years is crap i see 100% rise where free parking is stolen by these people that have no strategy.

wickeed
11/07/2010 at 06:51

How imaginative. Anyone know how much it costs to enforce these charges.

mai
9/07/2010 at 20:55

With the prices going up on car parking - no real shops to visit in rushmoor - I see no reason to add the extra costs to my cost of living.

The council wonder why people are not shopping in the towns when they put money on parking - the council are driving people to tescos - because parking is free their ?

Aldershot Born
8/07/2010 at 10:18

is it really six years since they abandoned the 50p parking all day sunday and replaced it with 50p an hour - on a day half the "attractive shops" are shut???

dp36, farnborough
8/07/2010 at 00:02

Really not worth going to Farborough then!!!. The "redevelopment" they tell us is going so well consists of a travelodge and a sainsburys so far. No real shops worth paying to go and visit. They probably have to put the prices up to claw back some of the money they lost by driving shoppers away with all the disruption we have gone through. Is this how they attract us back??

dp36, farnborough
8/07/2010 at 00:01

Werf - judging by the tone of your comments on this site, you'd be welcome to go elsewhere.

dave2009
7/07/2010 at 13:12

Have you ever tried loading a 5p into the machines? The plastic fascias are so thick it makes it fiddly to load. Then when the ticket comes out you have to wrap your finger around it to unwedge it from the tray at the bottom. The tariff is also displayed on the front in microscopic text.

Apart from that they're alright!