Following feedback from residents, town and parish councils, businesses and other stakeholders, Dorset Council is planning the introduction of two new parking permits, as well as changes to proposed charges in its car parks.
Following a successful survey which had over 1,900 responses, a proposed new permit scheme to benefit the people of Dorset, whilst reducing the potential impact of the higher parking charges, proved to be very popular. Short stay car park permits were most favoured, but the survey showed a clear need for a long stay permit too.
Therefore, two new permits are being proposed:
Pop & Shop: It was clear that many residents want a permit that allows them to pop into their local town or village, so the Pop & Shop permit is designed just for that.
The Pop & Shop permit is flexible, allowing the holder to park in the majority of short stay car parks across the whole of the Dorset Council area for 2 hours every day of the week.
The permit can be purchased annually for £78 a year – only £1.50 a week. This is perfect for those who like to make regular visits to their local high street or town/village centre.
This will support local high streets, helping them to rebuild as hubs of the communities they serve following the impact of the Covid pandemic.
Live, Work & Play: It was also clear from the permit survey that there was a real need for affordable parking for people who live and work in the Dorset Council area, and respondents wanted this to be as flexible as possible.
The Live, Work & Play permit can be used in the majority of long and short stay car parks across the whole of the Dorset Council area. Maximum stay times in short stay car parks will still apply. This permit is ideal for residents who need to park for work, leisure activities, or for those residents who have no residential parking.
The proposed price for the Live, Work & Play permit is £260 a year – only £5 a week. A monthly payment option of £25 a month is also available, which includes an administration fee.
To help fund these new permits, some of the proposed car parking charges have been revised, mainly for parking during the peak season at tourist destinations. This is to bring the charges for the most popular summer destinations in line with other comparable areas in the South West.
Existing parking permits currently in use will remain valid until their expiry date, at which point customers will have the choice to purchase either of the two new permits. On-street residents’ permits are unaffected by these proposals.
People who wish to comment on the latest plans are advised to e-mail parkingtransformation@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.
Once finalised, the proposals will be presented to Place and Resources Overview Committee in October, with Cabinet to vote on whether to implement them in early November. If agreed, the new charges and permits would be introduced in January 2022.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment at Dorset Council, said:
“We asked Dorset residents what they wanted from a new permit scheme, and we are proposing exactly what they have asked for: a permit for those who just want to pop into their town or village to do some shopping, and another for those who regularly use our car parks when working or spending a full day out enjoying what our beautiful county has to offer.”
“These permits are designed to ensure that Dorset Council residents and people who work in Dorset can access lower cost parking options. We also need to ensure tourists continue to feel welcome here, so we’ve also been careful to make sure that Dorset remains better value to visit than our neighbouring counties.”
“We believe we have found a great offer to benefit everybody. This demonstrates how we’re working with all our communities to make parking charges fair across the entire county, while making sure our residents and workers are not left out of pocket.”
Does this include beach parking
These haven’t been confirmed yet. As soon as our work has concluded, we’ll publish the full list of car parks ahead of Councillors deciding whether to press ahead with the new schemes – Lucy
I have just paid £37 for a shoppers permit which includes both our vehicles – you now propose to charge £78 & I assume this will be for one vehicle – I cannot see any justification for this price increase & we definitely won’t renew next year but simply will go to a supermarket with free parking. You are effectively closing the shops we would have popped into while in town, not sure how this will benefit anyone.
So, as a manager of a museum/coffee shop which is a charity, all my customers will now have to pay to park in order to visit and all my volunteers will,be expected to pay £260 per year for the privilege of volunteering 1-2 days per week?
We will not survive this and Verwood’s Heritage will be lost.
These permits are entirely optional Sandra. If your volunteers would end up paying more by getting a permit, they should continue to pay daily as they do now – James
Need to know which carparks are excluded? …
These haven’t been confirmed yet John. As soon as our work has concluded, we’ll publish the full list of car parks ahead of Councillors deciding whether to press ahead with the new schemes – James
Will parking permits for Blue badge holders that were used in West Dorset and Purbeck council car parks to be used alongside the blue badge be available in Weymouth and Portland car parks?
We have just launched a new works programme for Blue Badge holders Rosie – have a read of https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2021/08/16/blue-badge-holders-turn-to-shape-car-park-permit/
I pay each year £168 for April -sept mainly to park in highcliffe castle or steamer point to walk the dog … this year rear car park at the castle closed off and manned by two staff to cope with castle bookings … never seen more than 4 cars normally 2 or none .. so I as a
Resident holder or the paying customer could not park there … and they are paying two staff … I won’t ever bother with this again never mind the new permit
if you’re not have a smart phone you have had it – what’s wrong with the old paper disc
The permits do not require a smart phone.
I hope the pop and shop will have the possibility to cover 2 cars like the current Shoppers Permit?
Hi Jez – this has yet to be decided. We’ll publish details once we know more about how the scheme will work – Lucy
Do these new parking apply to severely disabled car owners with a disabled badge
We have just launched a separate works programme for Blue Badge owners Valerie – please have a read of https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2021/08/16/blue-badge-holders-turn-to-shape-car-park-permit/
There is a lot of difference between the £16 I have recently paid for 6 months parking and the new charge for Pop and Shop!
Thanks for listening
Is the Pop and Shop permit replacing the Shoppers Permit? It is a lot more expensive, and in my case it may be cheaper to just buy a ticket. Although a permit is easier to use and produces instant income for the council! Will a six monthly permit be available ?
I should be grateful for a reply, thank you.
If I need to pop to my local shops, presumably I now will need to pay £1.50 per week whereas at the moment it is free. This is taking advantage of all local shoppers. I shall now choose local supermarkets instead of local shops and I am sure that I will not be the only one. Wrong decision from Dorset Council.
I currently pay £25 per annum for a permit to park in Ringwood and several other local towns in order to shop (short stay 3 hours).I will not be buying a Dorset permit at £78! I live on the Dorset / Hampshire border.
£1.50 per week for a permit? Does this mean the free parking usually available for December afternoons has been discontinued.
Successful survey 1,900 ! Adults living in Dorset 412,905 !
what a load of rubbish!
the parking attendant (164) ” stated last week in Wareham that we will have no choice we would all be paying by phone or permits! no cash!” I am no longer shopping in Wareham!
Hi Martine – there are no plans to remove cash payment options from our car parks.
I have just paid £104. for a shoppers permit if the changes you propose are adopted will I get a refund?
Hello, if you would like to call our customer services team to discuss your permit, please call them on 01305 221000 or send an email to customerservices@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk Details of the permits that are available can be found here: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking/permits/apply-for-a-parking-permit Claire
This is a welcome development for Dorset residents, well done! Will there be a similar facility across BCP that would be accessible to Dorset Council residents that live near to the border between the council areas?
hi would the parking cover the whole of dorset council parking spaces //// ie bridport west bay lyme regis etc or just weymouth //kind regards GILBERT FIELD
Hi Gilbert – while the permits will indeed be valid in the majority of car parks, we are talking with Town and Parish councils, businesses, chambers etc. to determine if there are any local concerns with such an arrangement that might cause issues in the future at some car parks. Once we’ve completed that work and assuming Councillors are happy for the permit schemes to go ahead, we’ll have a definitive list of car parks that people can read before they decide whether a permit is right for them – Lucy
STUPID,STUPID,STUPID…!!!
FREE PARKING IS THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE OUR TOWNS.
I keep a few old cars (not worth much, but they are fun) and I choose any one of them from time to time when I go shopping in town.
Will there be a number plate App where I can record all my personal cars registered in my name, or will there be a printed badge or bar code to display on the dashboard, to identify me and cover any car that it’s on?
Or must I buy one one Pop & Shop subscription for each of my vehicles?
Thanks.
Hi Chris – this has yet to be decided. We’ll publish details once we know more about how the scheme will work – Lucy
What an increase, the old shoppers permit was round £25.00,
which was affordable, I will not be purchasing a pop and shop, not a very encouraging way to get shoppers back to the high street.
people want to be able to stop for 30 minutes to an hour so these proposals will just kill town & village centres. you only have to look at bournemouth’s huge losses of shopping visitors against the easy & free parking at places such as castlepoint. i know you won’t take any notice of what ‘joe public’ say though & you will always have an answer to push your ideas through.
People can still stop for 30 minutes to an hour Barry – these permits would be entirely optional and aren’t a replacement for regular charges. We’ve even considered the differences between the different kind of locales (ie. rural, towns and tourist spots) so charges are applied fairly and not to the detriment of local businesses – James
We live in Merley and our nearest shopping centre is Wimborne where we do most of our shopping. Could we purchase a Pop and Shop permit as we come under BCP council but our postcode is BH21 1SU and would this cover car parks in other parts of Dorset or only those covered by Dorset Council. Seems crazy as we are only 1 mile from Wimborne but 6 miles from Poole but come under BCP council.
what about free parking for disabled peoples cars around dorset.
A FREE permit should be available to all concerned.
With regards to you proposal of new parking permits, I would like to suggest that you give residents in the towns free parking for 30 minutes to and hour a day so they can go and do their shopping without paying, this would encourage the locals to do their shopping in the town.
And you people wonder why traditional town centres are dying? Castlepoint thrives (despite all the building works and disruption) because parking is free! If you want to save businesses and jobs in the BCP area make parking free, and attractive to the people have some disposable income, families and their own transport. You are victimising people based on their income and unfairly taxing them, and are then surprised when they go somewhere where they are not penalised for being a hard working and productive.
We don’t own or manage car parks in the BCP area David – you would need to speak to BCP Council.
Will you have available a dual registration permit, covering two cars, similar to how they are done now?
Hi Sue – this has yet to be decided. We’ll publish details once we know more about how the scheme will work – Lucy
Delighted to hear that Shoppers Parking permits are to be available in 2022.
The cost of the new Pop and Shop is ridiculously expensive. It is more than twice the price of the current Shoppers’ permit. Most people will only regularly want to go into their local town and occasionally visit other places. There are fewer and fewer reasons to go into Dorchester now (which is my nearest town) than ever before and shops close and the number of cafes grows. The extra costs of parking will mean I visit even less. We should be encouraging people to visit our local towns not dissuading them through parking costs. Very, very disappointed by the outcome of this
The pop and shop short stay option is good , but refers only to parking in short stay car parks . Is street parking not an option ? If the latter is an option, it seems to be contrary to your aim of keeping the centre of towns free of traffic , and making the majority of parking occur in car parks.
Also, what is your fundamental philosophy in charging for every service , shopping or professional visit to a town centre from a local resident? For many outlying villages, public transport is not an option – a car ( or expensive taxi ) has to be used , which in itself is already a considerable outlay. Council Tax at £3300 per annum is already a huge expense out of a meagre pension – why should you be making up your shortfall in Central Government funding and pandemic losses from taxing the motorist further ?
Politically , I wonder if you will be forgiven ?
Not clear, when you refer to the ‘Majority of car parks’ . For both type of permits! Which and why will some be excluded ?
We don’t know yet Roger. While the permits will indeed be valid in the majority of car parks, we are talking with Town and Parish councils, businesses, chambers etc. to determine if there are any local concerns with such an arrangement that might cause issues in the future at some car parks. Once we’ve completed that work and assuming Councillors are happy for the permit schemes to go ahead, we’ll have a definitive list of car parks that people can read before they decide whether a permit is right for them – James
Fantastic move espescially in our village of Corfe castle where there is very little private parking
Buried in the news about permits is the message about parking prices rising. The text says to come in line with charges across the SW but Cllr Bryan says cheaper than the SW. usual confusion and mixed messages and no links to allow us to see the new charges!
We have already announced the parking charge rises – https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2021/06/22/dorset-council-works-with-communities-to-transform-parking-charges-and-permits/
At present we can stay in a short or long stay car park in Blandford, the latter is £1.50 for a day, when the short stay was full, it wasn’t too much to pay the long stay fee. A 300 per cent rise seems excessive. And will our one free car park near the meadows now have charging? I know the Town Council are far from happy. This still seems a policy imposed from the centre on an unwilling electorate.
How about a scheme where parking tickets can be offset by retailers with purchases over a certain? I.e. Sainsburys Poole
This would also benefit tourists
I am certainly not going to pay for yet another permit
Maybe ‘cave’ mentality has set in ?
I live in Blandford, but have a second home in Dorchester with nowhere to park. Will the live work and play permit allow me to use the public car parks in Dorchester overnight?
I have recently renewed my shoppers permit paying £37 for two cars. The new charge of £78 per annum proposed for the “Pop and Shop” permit is therefore more than twice the cost of the current permit, with no indication as to whether this is for a single or multiple vehicles. How is this massive increase justifiable and will the new permit be restricted to a single vehicle?
Will these permits be in force in Swanage please?
If approved, yes they will.
I have no off road parking and have a residents permit for a long stay car park. My permit is increasing from £80 pa to £260? That’s an unaffordable increase for me. Has this been properly considered? I’m very disappointed and concerned.
Certainly like the sound of the “pop and Shop” permit.
Pop and Shop permits for local residents – good idea.
Charging £78 p.a. – bad idea.
Residents will not pay this fee.
Local businesses will suffer.
Short term parking should be free of charge.
Good idea as far as it goes. There should be the same scheme covering Dorset and BCP – we are all Dorset residents and the “border” is an arbitrary one.
So this effectively doubles the price of a shoppers permit in my local towns in West Dorset just to balance it with parking in areas like Bournemouth which have FAR more facilities. Personally I will not be replacing my permit and will be seeking parking elsewhere on the few occasions I have no alternative but to visit a town. All this serves to do is to discourage local shopping in west Dorset and ease administration for the Council
I understand the council’s believes it is helping the local residents but surely couldn’t you have come up with something a little friendlier?
Such a yearly badge like a disabled badge design but a totally different coulor at a minimum £5 per year that allows residents to shop up to 3 hours max per day. With working residents similar but a different coulor & £5 per year, but only for their working period.
Hospitals shouldn’t be charging their workers anything it should be free! An area just for staff with a registered badge in the car window.
One more thing, when are you going to bring in the ban on parking on pavements? It is getting worse, people think their car has more rights on pavements than pedestrians do?
Two reasons for stopping it, it allows people who are on mobility scooters and people with child buggies to travel safely and not by pass vehicles by walking in the road. And secondly because a lot more pavements are the tarmack surface vehicles create a dented cannel over time which needs to be repaired. That is extra cost to repair.
The so called ‘new’ Pop and Shop Permit is surely just the same as our current Shopper’s Permit but at over twice the price. Driving is a necessity for most rural dwellers due to inadequate public transport. This means that having suitable parking is also a necessity. I personally think that local council tax payers should have free parking but understand that Covid has hit council funds. However a more than 50% rise in these permits is rather steep.
Hard to evaluate without knowing what “the majority of short stay car parks across the whole of the Dorset Council” means, and how the 2 hour limit will be imposed. In other counties we’ve used a disc to display time of arrival when parking – have you considered that? And a map showing all the allowed car parks?
I’m afraid we can’t really be more specific than that right now Allan. The permits will be able to be used in the majority of our car parks, but we’re working with Town and Parish Councils to determine if there are any circumstances where such an arrangement might cause issues. How the time limit is imposed is also being discussed – we may go for display discs, or there might be a a different approach informed by available resources in any given area. But a map of allowed car parks is a great idea and something we’ll likely produce when the permits are considered by Councillors, so thank you – James
Please answer this question as you have not replied to any of the people have had asked this but have answered all the other question. So is the shoppers pass that Dorset already do now going to nearly triple in prices from £32 a year to £78, you already do this at a cheaper cost, so why are you putting it up? this will make it even less affordable for those of us who want to pop in early in height of summer when diff to park in Lyme regis, to swim, walk or shop, at a time when everything is going up. Please leave us with this cheaper pass as £78 is just too much. A
This is an extortionate increase! I use my local shops in Dorchester frequently due to having a Shoppers Permit and rarely if ever use it elsewhere. The Pop and Shop permit will certainly discourage me from shopping in Dorchester and will spend as little time as possible there if I am forced to pay normal parking fees as I will not be renewing my permit. I accept there has to be an increase and would be happy to have a Shoppers Permit just for my local town at a lower increase. YOUR PROPOSALS ARE UNREASONABLE AND SHOULD BE RETHOUGHT!!
I live in Verwood. I don’t know if the car park there will now be a pay and display one; it is currently free. The car park is well used but it is always easy to find a space. There are only a few local shops and cafes in Verwood but if I had to pay to park there I would not use it for the short time that I would spend at the local shops. It is hard enough to recruit to Verwood businesses, care agencies etc so charging will make this even more difficult. Verwood has a supermarket and a Lidl being built so there will be free car parks there.
Most of the answers you have given to questions are ” We haven’t decided yet”. You obviously haven’t thought anything through. I agree with the comments many people have made about destroying the town centre. In addition many people who need to park will now park in the side streets, causing problems for residents. If you hadn’t wasted several million pounds on a new council building which is less than 10 years old, you wouldn’t need to bother about increasing parking charges.
I would like to see the results of the consultation. Are they available?
“We haven’t decided yet” because we’re still in the process of talking with people, collaborating and finding out what will work best. The alternative would be to present the proposals as a done deal and we’d (rightly) face criticism for not talking to residents and considering all the details. It’s also worth noting that we haven’t “wasted several million pounds on a new council building” – the decision to build SWH was made by a council that no longer exists and could never have predicted how a pandemic could affect future working practices. Dorset Council inherited the building, no longer needs it, and so we’re looking at how we can achieve maximum return from the development – which is the fiscally responsible thing to do when dealing with taxpayer’s money. The results of the consultation will be published when the final permit proposals and revised charges are taken to Cabinet early next year – James
I agree with most of the above residents in so much that £78 per year is a ridiculous sum for parking and will deter shoppers and drivers wanting to visit the town. The small shops will lose valuable customers. Many pensioners have to drive into town, how do you expect them to afford this sum. I personally will not be shopping in Dorset as I live on the border where I only pay £25 per year.
1,From the comments made i am hearing the word discrimination creeping in. some people still do not have high tech phones and do not text so that eliminates them from parking if they are not allowed to pay by cash.
2, A little ill thought out in asking people for there thoughts when the council has not yet decided which car parks will be included,
3, a stealth price increase Dorset should be following the lead of BCP many of the local community car parks are free. The shops are therefore well supported. i went into Dorchester high street for the first time, i can see a decline already with shops closed. this will only add to this.
4 disabled people with blue badges will start using double lines which they are legally entitled to, this could cause add congestion.
Will these proposals affect residents who currently have to buy a car park permit because of no parking available at the house? Everyone on my street currently has to pay £140/yr to park in East Street carpark (Bridport) with, I think, one other carpark included. I don’t actually want or need to able to park in random towns all over Dorset, but it looks as if that will become the new ‘improved’ residents parking? It’s already horrendously expensive to live here with rent, council tax, etc – do you want Bridport to just be retirement town for the wealthy? if parking at the house is not an option, we need a simple, affordable parking permit.
I’m sure Christchurch Quay car park used to be included in the shoppers permit but it seems this has now changed?