Medway's country park visitors face parking fee

The daily charge to park at Riverside Country Park and Capstone Country Park will be £2.50

Medway Council is introducing daily parking charges at two Kent park sites.

Car users visiting Riverside Country Park and Capstone Country Park will face a £2.50 fee from 2 September.

Regular visitors can purchase an annual season pass for £60 and blue badge holders will be able to park for free. Coaches will be charged at £9 for a day.

The council says the income from the new charges could be reinvested into the country parks and other green spaces.

Residents criticised a decision last month to install parking metres at the two parks, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The charges were announced as a part of the council’s budget setting in February when the authority was making spending cuts.

Parking charges were also raised by a 60p per hour in a bid to raise revenue, while a free-parking Monday scheme was scrapped last September.

Concerns have been raised about how the new changes will affect businesses, with some saying the increased costs was deterring customers from visiting town centres.

Visitors can pay with cash, contactless and card, Apple and Google Pay, as well as through the RingGo app which is used for parking.