Plans to double parking charges at Southwater Country Park: Council speaks out

Plans to double car parking charges at Southwater Country Park have been defended by Horsham District Council.
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The council has spoken out following strong public criticism of its proposals to increase daily charges at the park from £3 to £6.

Local residents have described the planned increase as ‘disgraceful’ and have expressed fears that the increased parking fees will lead to more people parking in nearby residential streets.

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But a council spokeswoman said that money generated from the park’s three car parks would be re-invested into improvements at the country park and that the council wanted to encourage more cars to move through the car parks during peak periods.

Southwater Country Park near Horsham. Pic S Robards SR2103151 SUS-210315-165544001Southwater Country Park near Horsham. Pic S Robards SR2103151 SUS-210315-165544001
Southwater Country Park near Horsham. Pic S Robards SR2103151 SUS-210315-165544001

As well as doubling the daily charge from £3 to £6 between April 1 - October 31, the council also plans to increase charges for up to an hour from the current 50p to £1, and to increase the charge for parking for up to three hours from £1.50 to £2, and to charge £3 for parking between three and four hours.

Under the council’s proposals, parking fees would also now be put in place during the winter.

Between November 1 and March 31, parking is currently free on weekdays but is set to cost £1 under the new proposals.

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During winter, it currently costs £3 to park all day on Saturdays and Sundays and that is set to go up to £6.

Southwater Country Park near Horsham. Pic S Robards SR2103151 SUS-210315-165135001Southwater Country Park near Horsham. Pic S Robards SR2103151 SUS-210315-165135001
Southwater Country Park near Horsham. Pic S Robards SR2103151 SUS-210315-165135001

There will also be weekend charges for shorter periods: £1 for up to an hour, £2 for one to three hours, and £3 for three to four hours.

The charges will operate year-round between 9am - 6pm, instead of currently between 10am and 4pm in winter and 10am - 6pm in summer.

The Horsham District Council spokeswoman said: “The car parking charges are being increased to improve the management of parking at the site and any money generated from parking is re-invested into the upkeep of the park to improve user experience.

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“Our aim is to encourage greater movement of cars through the car parks particularly at peak periods.

“Monitoring has shown us that most of our visitors want to use one of the three car parks available to be as close to the facilities as possible.

“There will remain no charge to park before 9am, and for frequent visitors, we have extended the number of annual parking permits available for parking the Station Road Car Park.”

The increases are due to come into force from April 19.