Changes to parking charges at country park

Councillor John Clarke MBE, leader of Gedling Borough Council, made the changes on Wednesday

A council leader has announced changes to car parking charges at a country park.

Councillor John Clarke MBE has reduced the annual permit price for the recently announced car parking charges at Gedling Country Park in Nottinghamshire from £200 to £85.

At a full council meeting on Wednesday, Clarke confirmed that he made the decision after listening to residents' concerns that the original price was too high.

In January, the council announced that a daily £2 car parking charge would be introduced at the park to help cover maintenance costs, and at the time, an annual permit was also proposed at £200, in line with other council-owned car parks.

'I listened to residents'

Following discussions with council officers, Clarke decided to lower the cost to make the park more accessible for frequent visitors.

The £2 daily charge will still be introduced as planned.

The council also confirmed that free permits will be provided to the trustees and committee members of the Friends of Gedling Country Park and that 25 free permits will be given to volunteers from Gedling junior parkrun and Gedling parkrun.

After the council meeting, Clarke said he had made the decision after listening to residents.

"We are facing the difficult challenge of raising funds to maintain the park while balancing the financial pressures residents are experiencing.

"As we set next year's budget, we will need to consider the impact of this decision on the funding we expected for park maintenance.

"Some planned improvements may take longer than we had hoped.

"I visited the park yesterday and spoke to people about what they want to see.

"Everyone I spoke to loves the park - it's a great asset for this borough. We need to do everything we can to keep it well-used, and I hope this decision makes it easier for people to visit more often, benefiting both the park and its visitors in the long run."

Details about how visitors can apply for the permits will be announced shortly.