Visitors up after free parking scrapped - council

Owner of hair salon said footfall has dropped after parking charges wee introduced

Towns where fees were introduced have seen more visitors, a council said.

Babergh District Council in south Suffolk introduced new charges in Sudbury, Hadleigh and Lavenham in January, to help offset a budget deficit of £6.7m over the next four years.

It said independent analysis showed there had been "low or no impact" on footfall.

However, traders disputed the findings, and said the charges had affected numbers coming through their doors.

Since January, drivers have had to pay £1 for short-stay parking for the first hour or £1 for two hours in long-stay.

A council report found that as a result, parking in short-stay car parks had fallen.

The council said: "Our findings in the first six months show that use of short-stay car parks has decreased, as intended, with town centre workers encouraged to migrate to the long-stay car parks" which had "freed up [short-stay] capacity for visitors".

The report also said in Sudbury, between February and July 2025, numbers in short-stay were down some 40% compared to the same period in 2024, equating to about 20,000 fewer tickets issued each month.

However, the number of people buying long-stay tickets in the town fell by 6.1% during the same period, the report added.

Walk-in appointments and sales down

Hair salon owner Cherelle Letter says the new charges have impacted her business

Cherelle Letter, who owns Mulberry & Fitch Hair Salon in Sudbury, disputed the council's claim that visitor numbers to the town had increased by 4.1% since free parking was scrapped.

"The footfall has drastically dropped. It's a real shame. I don't get walk-in appointments anymore," she said.

"We used to get at least two a day, now we get two a week, if we're lucky.

"The rent and rates are high. I'm now revisiting the possibility of relocating the salon. If I can find the right place in a village location I'd seriously consider it."

In Hadleigh, town councillor and former mayor Frank Minns said people were now parking in narrow residential streets, causing problems.

"It's very bad for morale amongst businesses on the High Street," he said.

"They are walking a tightrope and anything which knocks them off balance could risk them deciding to pack up and close or move."

The council said it would "continue to monitor the impact" of the charges.