Chelmsford parking charge hike will not hit footfall say council

Charge increases will apply at car parks including Townfield Street in Chelmsford

A council planning to increase car parking charges said it did not expect city centre footfall to suffer.

Chelmsford City Council suspended car parking charge hikes in 2021 but announced an increase of 50p for stays of more than two hours this year.

The changes are expected to increase income from parking from a budgeted £5.2m in 2021-22 to £6.7m in 2022-23.

The council said it did not "anticipate any change in demand in the High Street" as a result.

It predicts parking income will be around 82% of pre-Covid levels in 2022-23 and will not return fully due to permanent changes in behaviour by motorists, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

At a cabinet meeting Mike Mackrory, member for sustainable development, said: "We do not anticipate any change in demand in the High Street and in the fringes as a result of the increases."