Hungerford wins parking battle over West Berkshire Council

West Berkshire Council has received public backlash in its consultation over proposed increases in parking charges across the district.

Around 1,200 people took pen to paper – or filled in the online form – objecting to parking charge hikes in Newbury, Hungerford and Thatcham.

The council had wanted to boost its dwindling coffers by about £500,000 with the moves – but now it is back tracking in Hungerford – where 73 residents and the town council objected.

So, to take in specific concerns with the evening charge in Hungerford, the council will amend plans for Hungerford High Street to set the evening charge to ‘free.’

People wrote in with concerns with the proposals in each of the affected towns – Hungerford, Newbury and Thatcham – about the impact on town centres and businesses, and the reliance on parking and the tourism trade for businesses.

Concerns with antisocial parking on other nearby roads as people seek free alternatives were also cited, as well as concerns for residents who live in the immediately affected roads and affordability of parking.

Other comments were made on the consultation process as a whole, concerns with paybyphone-only and non-cash payment methods, concerns about limiting disabled parking to three hours and concerns over the Faraday Road planting – and more.

The council concedes that: “It is important to be clear that all objections and comments received following the statutory consultation for the proposed order must be considered, regardless of the decision made at full council. The decision being made now must take those objections and comments into consideration.”

For off-street parking (car parks), free parking will be limited in council car parks for the first three hours for blue badge holders.

But the council says proposals in the draft parking strategy seek to deliver improved services for disabled users, by introducing more disabled parking bays where demand exceeds supply.

There are a total of 2,603 council spaces in West Berkshire, and 2,358 spaces from other providers – 159 council parking spaces in Hungerford, 43 in Lambourn, 1,800 in Newbury during the week and 1,950 during the weekends. Pangbourne has 94, Thatcham 44 and Theale 67.