Residents Express Worry Over Proposed Car Park Charges

Local residents have voiced apprehension regarding proposals to introduce fees at a currently free car park in East Sussex, fearing it could discourage its use and lead to increased parking on adjacent streets. The Little Common Recreation Ground car park, situated on Green Lane in Bexhill, is among several free parking facilities within the district where hourly charges, ranging from 25p to 85p, could be implemented. The consultation period initiated by Rother District Council is scheduled to conclude on Friday, with a final decision anticipated in February of next year. The council indicated that it faces “difficult choices” in its efforts to address the financial deficit it is currently experiencing. Roger Firman, a dog walker, conveyed to BBC Radio Sussex: “They just closed the public toilets there too. If they bring in the parking charges, a lot of people will just start parking on the street.“You have the problem with the sports events, on a Saturday morning you have the kids playing sports. The car park will be absolutely full. Do you ask all the parents to pay to bring their kids?“For cricket matches, someone could be here for six or seven hours. The football club sometimes get crowds of 200 to 250, are you telling players they will have to pay for parking?” An additional resident commented: “There’s no facilities here now, they closed the public toilets over a year ago. If there were more facilities, maybe I wouldn’t object to paying a small amount to park. It’s completely wrong.” The suggested increase in hourly parking fees varies from 25p to 85p, contingent on the specific location and the duration of stay. A spokesperson for the council stated: “Rother District Council, like councils across the country, is facing significant pressures as costs and demand increases and funding from central government reduces.“To raise more income to help fill our funding gap, we are currently consulting on proposals to add charges to our car parks where there is currently not a charge. “However, no decisions will be made before the responses to the consultation have been received and we encourage people to have their say on the proposals by completing the consultation survey.”