Rise in Bury St Edmunds car park charges proposed
- Published
Plans to raise charges at most car parks in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill are being put forward, despite objections from local businesses.
The proposals would will see the charges at the popular Cattle Market car park in Bury St Edmunds rise by between 16% and 25%.
The town's chamber of commerce said an increase in charges would drive "local customers to out of town shops".
The borough council said it must get a return for its car park spending.
The proposals will before the council's cabinet on Wednesday.
It calls for the Cattle Market car park charges to rise from £1.50 to £1.80 for an up to an hour's stay and from £3 to £3.50 for a stay of up to four hours.
'Investment in parking'
Most other car parks, such as St Andrews, will see rises of 10p or in some cases no rise.
The report proposes no rises for Haverhill's Town Hall and Lower Downs Slade car parks, but rises of between 10p and 30p at the Ehringhausen Way, Leisure Centre and Meadows car parks.
Officers say in a report to the council that the majority of people and businesses consulted said they "did not wish to see any increase in parking charges".
But the report adds: "However it is important that the council continues to generate a reasonable return on its considerable investment in parking."
Andrew Hunter, of the Bury St Edmunds Chamber of Commerce, said in a letter to the council: "Increasing town centre car parking charges is not good for the town centre businesses."
He added: "We believe that parking policy should be seen as a way to attract customers to the town centre and keep the heart of the community beating, not simply as a revenue raiser and means of traffic management."