Agenda item

Handy Cross Park and Ride Car Park - Introduce Charges

Decision:

Cabinet received a report on the Handy Cross Development which commenced in May 2014 with the intention of introducing charges in the 396 space park and ride car park once the car park was finished. The purpose of introducing charges was to enable the car park to be effectively managed and encourage customers to park at this location and use the park and ride facility.

RESOLVED

Cabinet AGREED to the introduction of parking restrictions and a tariff structure at Handy Cross Park and Ride car park in High Wycombe as set out in the paragraph below and AUTHORISED the making of the orders which are necessary to give effect to this decision:

1. Tariff structure:

Up to 30 minutes - £0.00

Up to 4 hours - £1.20

Up to 10 hours - £3.00

Up to 24 hours - £4.00

Up to 48 hours - £8.00

Up to 72 hours - £12.00

Up to 96 hours - £16.00

Maximum stay of 96 hrs

2. Parking Permits priced at £60 per calendar month, purchasable in monthly increments up to a maximum of 12 months for £720.

3. Car park open and chargeable 24hrs per day, seven days a week and 365 days of the year with the exceptions of Christmas Day, official Boxing Day and Easter Sunday, when the car park will be open; but charges will not apply.

4. Car park fees and charges to apply for electric vehicle users to enable electric vehicle bays to be effectively managed and availability of space maximised.

5. Disabled Badge holders park for free; in line with the majority of council owned/managed car parks in Buckinghamshire.

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report on the Handy Cross Development which commenced in May 2014 with the intention of introducing charges in the 396 space park and ride car park. The Cabinet Member for Logistics reported that the site was just off junction 4 of the M40 at the top of Marlow Hill which was a good position for High Wycombe Town Centre. The report only related to the Council owned car park not to the other facilities on that site.

As the car park was being maintained at the expense of Council tax payers the plan was to introduce parking charges in the same manner as the other 84 council owned car parks. Currently on the site there was a park and ride facility which provided free parking and free bus travel to the town centre except for Saturday with a charge of £2.50. This arrangement, which was funded from CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy), was in place until 31/3/21. Decisions around bus fares continuing to be free would be subject to future CIL applications. The car park was designed by the then Wycombe District Council.

Subject to Cabinet approval and the amendment order being made, customers would pay for parking upon their return and pay only for the time they have used. Payments could be made at the machine with credit / debit card using both chip and pin and contactless payment functions. This negated the need for civil enforcement officers. The recommended tariffs were drawn up as a result of the public consultation and to ensure a fair and consistent approach for all users. The tariff structure took into account charges in the town centre.

If Cabinet agreed the recommendations the new parking restrictions and tariff structure would be displayed for 28 days and would be introduced from Monday 16 November 2020. The Cabinet Member for Logistics reported that he had taken into account comments made at the High Wycombe Town Committee.

During discussion the following points were made:-

· Whilst some of the comments had been taken into account at the High Wycombe Town Committee not all comments had been taken forward. A Member referred to the need to increase infrastructure for electric cars. There were three electric points with six connectors which were 3kw which was the equivalent of a 13 amp plug; this equated to 10 miles for every hour they were connected. The leisure centre had 7kw and were free to use by customers. The Council should be providing a similar service. The Cabinet Member responded by saying that the electric car points had been commissioned by the then Wycombe District Council but that he would look into whether these should be replaced.

· Once Wycombe Wanderers resume playing the town centre could be having crowds of up to 10,000 people and parking needed to be provided away from the stadium at the park and ride facility. Wycombe Wanderers had not responded but should have been contacted by the Council as an important stakeholder. Football fans should not be asked to pay for parking and bus fares as this may cause them to park elsewhere in Sands which would cause disruption for local residents. The Cabinet Member reported that he would be speaking to the club about appropriate parking arrangements on match days.

· A Member referred to the 10 hour banding for the car park which she commented was unusual as it was normally 12 hours. The Cabinet Member responded to say that the 10hr tariff was proposed at £3.00 to enable schools’ staff and pupils and business staff to be able to park for a school day or shift at relatively low cost compared to parking in the Town centre, The longer stay tariffs provided flexibility to support the wider community.

· Reference was made to the publicity of these changes and also how the Council was working with bus operators and Chiltern Rail to link in with commuter trains to encourage park and ride. The Cabinet Member responded that they were in discussion with bus and train operators to align services.

· Members noted that Wycombe District Council had previously intended to introduce charges and that there would be a six month review to look at the impact of these charges on other areas. The Cabinet Member also reported that Wycombe District Council had set up a Task and Finish Group to look at the original proposals to introduce charges at the car park with 16 recommendations; none of which covered recent representations.