Dereham parking charges proposals to be discussed by town council

Dereham considers parking tariffs and ANPR for three town car parks

Dereham parking charges proposals to be discussed as council considers ANPR system Proposals to introduce parking charges in Dereham are set to be discussed after the town council took legal ownership of three car parks and began examining how their running costs could be funded. Dereham Town Council took ownership of Cherry Tree, Cowper Road and Becclesgate car parks in July as part of the wider transfer of car parks from Breckland Council to town councils. Dereham parking charges have not been decided The council is considering two main ways of funding the car parks: increasing the council tax contribution or introducing a tariff system for users. A report prepared for the finance and governance committee meeting on 15 September makes clear that no decision has been made to introduce parking charges. Under the tariff option being considered, different user groups could face different annual costs depending on how they use the car parks. Residential parkers could pay around £240 a year, while workers and volunteers could pay up to £73 a year. Shoppers and people with private parking rights are listed as facing a proposed annual cost of £15 under the current figures in the report. ANPR could be used to manage parking The proposals also include the potential use of ANPR technology to monitor how the car parks are being used. The council said that after three years of using ANPR, it could have a significant amount of accurate information about parking patterns and be in a better position to apportion costs. The report also suggests that any charges could initially be set lower for the first three years while the council builds a clearer picture of usage and annual maintenance costs. Despite the proposed tariffs, the council said the car parks could effectively remain free at the point of use through a permit system. How much could Dereham parking cost? The three car parks are estimated to have annual running costs of £150,000, covering non-domestic rates, routine maintenance and long-term resurfacing. If the council chose to fund those costs through council tax instead, the report estimates that a Band D property could face an increase of £25 a year. The proposals have attracted opposition locally, with concerns raised about the potential effect of parking charges on businesses and people who use the town's car parks. For now, however, the figures remain proposals rather than confirmed parking tariffs. The finance and governance committee is considering the options as the town council decides how the newly transferred car parks should be funded and managed in the future.