Official notices are being displayed in Dorset Council car parks advising drivers of changes to parking charges from 1 April.
The changes come as part of an ongoing review of car parks following the creation of Dorset Council and aims to make car park charging more comparable across the council area.
Councillors agreed at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 8 December to support the recommendations to:
- Increase the all-day charge from £2 to £8 in Lyme Regis and West Bay
- Extend morning charges in Purbeck to begin at 8am
- Implementation of Sunday charging, where this isn’t already in place
Drivers using car parks in West Bay and Lyme Regis will now able to choose to park for one hour, two hours, three hours, four hours, six hours or all-day, with one hours parking starting at 50p and the all-day tariff now £6 in the low season and £8 during the peak season (April to October inclusive).
For workers who use these car parks, long stay parking permits (season tickets) are available via the Dorset Council website. With a 12-month permit costing from £230, this works out as 63p per day.
Car parks in the Purbeck area, which currently have a charging period from 10am to 7pm, will soon charge from 8am to 6pm, aligning with all other Dorset Council car parks.
The original recommendation to extend evening charges to 8pm was withdrawn following concerns voiced by many town and parish councils.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “I feel that these changes strike a balance between supporting our town centres and high streets, as well as ensuring charging is fair and can sustain our car parks across the county.
“The standardisation of car park charging times across the council area will provide residents and visitors with a seamless transition from town to town, knowing exactly when they will need to pay at one of our car parks.
“We’re continuing our work to make car park charging more comparable across the council area, which will include in depth discussions with town and parish councils and local accessibility groups. This includes exploring the idea of a council-wide shoppers permit.”
In ongoing support of the local economy, Dorset Council offers town councils six free parking days in Dorset Council car parks each year. This is made up of Small Business Saturday in December, one weekday in December and four days for events which generate valuable footfall for that town.
Why the sudden change now? The all day £2 charge has been working so well for years and it is affordable! I have a feeling this may drive people away at a time when you need the money.
Hi Vicky, the changes come as part of an ongoing review of car parks following the creation of Dorset Council and aims to make car park charging more comparable across the council area.
If you frequently park for long periods in West Bay, you may find the season ticket more economical: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking/permits/west-dorset-area/west-dorset-season-tickets.aspx
Kind regards, Kerry
Presumably you will be offering payment by installments as many low paid workers will not be able to afford £230 is one payment.
Regards
Paul Barrow
The free parking until 10am has been popular in Purbeck, enabling drivers to combine delivering children to school with shopping. If county wide uniformity is desired why can’t free early morning parking be the standard.
Are the West Dorset shoppers permits continuing please?
If not, lots of people will use retail parks where it’s free parking and won’t go into town.
Hi Jim, shoppers permits are being reviewed as part of the parking review project. Discussions are currently underway to see if the shoppers permit will be continued and extended to the rest of the Dorset Council area.
I seriously believe there should be concessions, by means of the shoppers permit, for local people, who already pay their council tax, who need to pop to the shops in town, whether that be the family butchers, bakers or other small outlets that rely on regular custom throughout the year. If the price of shoppers permits unjustifiably increases there will be the temptation, as Jim says, to take advantage of free parking at our local supermarket outlets.
I feel sorry for the local businesses. We regularly visit West Bay, Bridport, Charminster, Lyme Regis etc in our campervan and enjoy lunch, coffee and ice cream from the local vendors. Being on a limited budget we will in future cater for ourselves in our van because the council will now be taking our money rather than it going to the businesses. Typical of the attitude Dorset seems to have towards tourists; discourage them from spending in shops while they take an ever increasing income!
With town centres’ dying, and being accelerated by Covid, I believe a radical rethink on parking charges for shoppers car parks is required. Nothing short of free parking for shoppers will prevent closure of many businesses in the medium to long term. Let’s make it so much easier and less stressful for everyone to shop in physical premises rather than online.
I support this on the basis of first 2 or 3 hours being free, thus allowing a decent period for shopping or enough time for a lunch with friends and family. Thereafter charges could start at £1 per hour! between 0800 and 1800 hours.
People parking would anticipate the full period of parking they wish to pay for and the machine would automatically not charge for the first 3 hours.
This way shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants can have no complaints concerning potential customers being deterred by parking charges.
At the same time anybody parking in the alloted spaces for more than 24 hours would be considered to have been liable for a full day’s parking. Everyone would have to buy a ticket whether for a free period or not.
I can only hope that the West Bay car park by the beach will be resurfaced. There are so many potholes!
Why such a large increase? We have a boat moored in the Harbour at West Bay. We already pay to moor in the harbour. Why no concession for locals.
This will drive people away. An increase from £2 to £8 per day is too much.
Hi Clive, Dorset Council Cabinet agreed to the changes in December: https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2020/12/08/cabinet-agrees-revised-car-parking-changes-extends-free-parking-for-nhs-and-care-workers/
Although the all day rate is higher, the new tariffs offer flexibility for shoppers and visitors who may not wish to stay all day.
If you frequently park in West Bay, you may find the season ticket more economical: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking/permits/west-dorset-area/west-dorset-season-tickets.aspx
Kind regards, Kerry
Re Car parking.
During the lockdown l have walked to West Bay every day, over the last week there have been several Camper Vans parked on the Station Car Park.
Some have obviously been parked over night, l thought that this was illegal.No sign of a parking warden when needed
Also the above are also breaking the lock down rules by travelling to west bay from outside the area.
Won’t this just lead to more visitors trying to find alternative ‘free’ parking in any road, lay by etc. they can find? Or is that just part of the plan as the council then get income from parking fines? This is just taking advantage of the expected increase in people taking holidays and days out in the UK in 2021. Perhaps for £8.00 a day the fee will include a car valet by a council member (if they aren’t too scared of a hard days work!)
We I have found the £2 all day parking in Lyme Regis value for money as I bring my family down for the day. This increase means I will not visit Lyme Regis anymore as I’m sure many others will do the same.
What a farce, they are making out their doing us a favour by the huge rise in car parking , bureaucratic out of touch jobs worth. They are a special kind.
So councils still have no idea about modern shopping habits. All the people I know avoid small town centres and go to the big free centres to do their shopping. even if it means driving to Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole. This of course just helps to starve local town centres.
I would suggest if we want our town centres to survive ,permanent free parking is the only way.
Why doesn’t Dorset council offer lower parking rates to people who live in Dorset, and higher rates to those visiting Dorset from outside the area. Hillingdon Council have a residents card that residents who pay council tax can apply for, and this entitles them to, among other things, cheaper car parking fees. Think outside the box councillors please, find out what other local authorities are doing, it works, and keeps residents happy.
Hi Mrs D Barber, as part of our ongoing car park review, we’re discussing the creation of a Dorset Council shoppers permit. This would aim to offer residents better value for money than paying ad-hoc and encourage local shopping.
Some people are very lucky! In Broadstone at present, the average stay for shopping is 20 minutes but we have to pay £1 for an hour.. there are not enough shops to spend an hour shopping there! We should have a thirty minute option.
What does “all day” actually mean? 50p an hour would buy 16 hours for £8 so I guess all day is 24 hours?
Hi Kate, the charging period is 8am to 6pm, so the £8 would pay for parking for those ten hours. Parking is free from 6pm to 8am.
Not only do we pay the highest council tax in the country but now we cannot afford to park in our own areas.What ever justification can you give for this .We have had to put up with three lockdowns.and we cannot afford to go on holiday in the UKbecause we are pensioners but we do enjoy days out in our home county now we cannot afford to have this pleasure.We get no help from the state except our pensions.We were told that the removal of District councils would improve the financial state of the County council but this is not true.No doubt you will blame it on Civid 19.Central government has given plenty of money to the council’s throughout the UK So what have you used it on?
IAbsolutely right. Good comment. Hope DCC reads it.
They purchased St Mary’s school in Shaftesbury.
What a shame about this £8 charge. I was looking forward to our regular visits to Lyme Regis and West Bay when lock down ends.
Now we cannot afford to go.
Sad day.
We don’t go often enough to make a season ticket worth while.
Can you tell me who covers car parks in Weymouth as my son works shifts in the town centre and in the winter it costs £10 per day and in the summer it goes up to £16 per day. Even if he purchased a yearly parking permit he cannot park close to his work and it would cost over £500 per year. The only car parks he can use in the town area is Swannery, Pavilion or Overcome corner his shift often finishes at 10pm and doesn’t want to park in either the Swannery or Pavilion car parks as the boy racers race around them and doesn’t want his car damaged and Overcombe corner he just as well not take his car and walk home as we live at Wyke. When the new council was formed the echo carried a report that Weymouth car park revenue was going to the new council if so why aren’t our parking charges on a par with the rest of Dorset ?
Hi Shirley, the current all-day charge in Dorset Council car parks in Weymouth is £6 in the winter and £8 in the summer.
The Weymouth Season Ticket A also covers Nothe Car Park and Lodmoor Car park if these are closer to your son’s place of work. All the Weymouth & Portland season ticket information can be found here:
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking/permits/weymouth-and-portland-area/weymouth-portland-season-tickets.aspx
The current parking review project aims to make car parking charges more consistent across the council area.
Why the need to make parking charges ‘more consistent across the council area’, and why consistently increase charges, when Dorset Council should be striving to reinvigorate its towns by encouraging people back into them, following a year of where most people have resorted to buying their non-food shopping online?
If I undersatnd this correctly then this certainly needs a reply.
This ‘one size fits all’ £8 daily parking charge is ridiculous . In Lyme demand is huge in the summer and the park and ride provision is in adequate – the council should make better park and ride facilities keeping traffic out. In winter the car parks run at less than 20% – charging £8 for the day will kill off day the small number of day visitors and damage business. It will discourage people from walking into town from the outer bar parks. This is another I’ll thought council is initiative and shows lack of local knowledge .
West Bay is not the greatest location to spend an entire day, the £8 high charge will ensure you don’t stay very long or spend much too money with the local traders.
An increase in parking charges from £2 to £8 a day is far too much, £4 would be reasonable and would not deter people from using the car parks, £8 is excessive and will result in visitors parking for a shorter time.
At present in Wareham we get an allowance back on our ticket from Sainsburys if we spend over £15.00 will this still be given ?
This increase has been a long time coming. I live in Weymouth where the parking fees have always been higher and it does not seem to deter summer visitors. Our council tax is also one of the highest in the country, so holiday makers and visitors should help with paying for facilities that they, and not us, use.
I have always been amazed how cheap it was to park in West Bay and Lyme Regis. If people want to go there, and why wouldn’t they, increased parking charges will not deter them.
Well done Dorset Council!
I understood from previous car park notices that Dorset Council would be considering a shoppers car park season ticket. there is no mention of this in the notice I have just received.
We are still discussing this Pamela – hopefully will be able to provide more information in a few weeks time.
Does this mean discontinuing the existing shopper’s parking permit which Dorset took over from West Dorset District Council? If so, you’ll lose even more people from, eg, Dorchester.
I always thought a unitary authority was a bad idea …
I will continue my practice of not bothering if I can find nowhere to park without being charged.
Having discovered on-line shopping and banking I have reduced my need to go into town even more.
Short sighted council thinking , make parking cheaper or free encourage shoppers , more businesses stay open , more income from business rates , now we just pay to visit empty shops , look what’s happened to Dorchester over the latest 18 Months . And no don’t use the Coronavirus as an excuse
Ideally all the replies below should be read out at a full Council meeting.
The Council sholud be made aware of how people feel about this latest outrage.
Hi Brian, these proposals have been through the Dorset Council committee process – having been discussed at the Dorset Council Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee before recommendations were put forward to Cabinet for discussion.
https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2020/12/08/cabinet-agrees-revised-car-parking-changes-extends-free-parking-for-nhs-and-care-workers/
i AM DISABLED AND HAVE A BLUE BADGE WHERE THE PARKING CHARGES ARE EXPENSIVE I FIND ??
SO WHY IS IT THAT IN SURREY BLUE BADGE HOLDERS PARK IN CAR PARKS
FOR FREE —
To all those wailing for free parking. Free parking is a misnomer. everyone pays for free parking except the person who is parking the car.
https://www.vox.com/2014/6/27/5849280/why-free-parking-is-bad-for-everyone
just a few highlights
– free parking encourages an environment where people need to use cars, disproportionately affecting the poorer people in society who can’t afford one.
– free parking encourages more car use, which results in lower air quality for people locally.
– where free parking exists people end up driving around looking for spaces for longer, adding to pollution and congestion issues. therefore, standardised parking charges across an area is a good thing.
Last year, in a brief period when lockdown had ended, we toured the Welsh coast. Towns in counties where councils had suspended parking charges were thriving, towns in counties were had reinstated full charges were empty.
Guess where Dorset falls! I have lived here 40 years and it has ever been thus. Thank goodness for Amazon
Will a Dorset county permit be available as everything is centralised now,
This will deter many local people from dropping into Wareham Sainsburys, or the local produce market for a few things before 10am. The car park is much used by the elderly who may not need to spend £15+ each visit.
The council should at least decrease the spending requirement for a car park fee refund to £5, (which is the requirement for Poole Sainsburys) since this change is under the guise of standardising parking charges.
Hi Karen, as I understand it, this discount is offered by Sainsbury’s so will only change if the store decides to amend their offer.
Now Dorset Council publish the actual total costs for the complete process from taking it through council with all associated staff charges to and including the erection of new signage. I will shop somewhere else on Sunday’s where parking is free.
As with most of the comments made by the viewers,I have found that combining all the districts have increased the coffers of the council but have not saved the tenants outgoings.With the increase of council tax,we all pay the same whether town or hamlet and now parking,I for one will not be voting for this conservative council at the next local elections