Charges could be brought in at a free car park in Camber, if proposals gain the go ahead from a senior county councillor.
On Monday October 20, Cllr Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment, is due to decide whether to begin consultation on plans to introduce pay-and-display parking charges at the Broomhill Sands Car Park on Lydd Road.
According to officers’ report, the council is considering the introduction of charges as a way to cover the costs of annual maintenance and management of the site, which is said to have a maximum capacity of 300 spaces and is used by around 13,000 vehicles each year.
Any excess income from this proposal, the report says, would be used to support management of the nearby Camber Sands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The charges could potentially be set at £2 for up to an hour, £4 for up to two hours and £6 for up to four hours. The council could also operate a seasonal all day rate (i.e. more than four hours), which the report says could be set at £8 during the summer season — between April 1 and September 30 —and £6 for the rest of the year.
Parking for blue badge holders, cycles and motorcycles would remain free.
Cllr Dowling is being asked to approve an informal consultation on the proposals. This would see the county council seek views from residents’ groups, Camber Parish Council and two businesses — The Kitesurf Centre and Frankie’s at the Beach — which each lease part of the car park from the council.
Depending on the results of the informal consultation, the county council could then begin the process of implementing a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). This process would involve a formal consultation process, with any responses eventually considered by the county council’s planning committee.
Image Credits: James Stewart .
Personally, I love using this part of the beach on my own or with my grandchildren as it is mostly away from the crowds of tourists.
However, if this does get the go ahead, which I sincerely hope it does not, one hopes before charges are implemented, that the state of the parking area is addressed. This is a pebble car park, full of craters, causing zig zag driving to avoid vehicle damage.
I agree with you Jacqueline, this car park is a good option and as there is no charge, you don’t feel you can complain so much about the pot-holed state of it. There are also no toilets there which you get at the other car parks that charge.
Therecare no toilet facilities provided and none planned. Difficult to see a justification for charging. It is quite a few years since the site was levelled only very soon after for pot holes and craters to appear. Cannot envisage hoe ESCC could prevent that whilst still charging
What is becoming very clear is that both RDC and ESCC need new management that provide services solely financed from the extortionate council taxes and not from additionally grubbing money from what is already owned by the people they expect to pay.
I have just spent four weeks travelling extensively around south-west Ireland, not once did I have to pay for car parking.
Car parking appears to be a ‘cash cow’ for local councils, another way to prevent people enjoying our beautiful coastline, through exorbitant charges, in this instance. In one breath we are encouraged to get outside more and in the next ‘thats okay, but we will have the pleasure of charging you for the priviledge’!
If it can be done elsewhere, why not in this wonderful part of the world? Perhaps it is another form of control over the population?
No! No! No! And No again. There’s not much in Rother that remain free to both residents and visitors to enjoy, but this is one. Leave things as they are, as they used to be and stop trying to milk everything that exists.
It may appear to be that the council to be the cash cow’s,but I think it’s the people that run the car parks that gets most of the fees and it’s not the councils.