Marlborough’s car parks – costs to go up, but charged hours to increase to 7am-7pm

Wiltshire Council are proposing that charges in Marlborough’s car parks increase, but the ‘hidden’ cost / convenience / usage factor is that they wish to change the charged parking hours from 8am-6pm to 7am-7pm. That might appear to be a small insignificant change but to many, particularly residents this could be a big, inconvenient and potentially costly change.

At this stage these are just ‘proposals’ and a consultation phase is underway. To access this and contribute – click here. Parking for an hour in George Lane car park will go up from £1 to £1.10, whereas three years ago it was 80p for an hour. So an increase of nearly 38% over less than four years. Has what Wiltshire Council delivers to us, their paying customers improved across this period? Not for us to answer, but for many, particularly drivers incurring pothole damage to cars, unlikely to be a ‘yes’.

This ‘Consultation Period’ closes on Tuesday 5 May and then the ‘decision notice’ regarding changes will follow soon after.

Regarding the parking charging hours times this change could be significant. For residents who work away and park in these car parks overnight, and leave for work pre-08:00 and return after 18:00, they will either have to pay for those ‘new’ hours’, leave for work earlier (return later) or risk a ticket. Sounds small, but for many anything but. Ironically it was Wiltshire Council who recently used the hours worked by Parking Enforcement Officers as a reason why the proposed Lower Prospect Resident’s Parking Zone could not happen overnight was because their officers didn’t work after 18:00 or before 08:00.

And for the Waitrose car park, known as ‘Hilliers Yard’ car park, what will happen there? It is listed as one of Wiltshire Council’s controlled car parks on this notice although – we understand – Waitrose (John Lewis Partnership) have requested that control return to them (it is owned by them). It is unusual to have a ‘paid’ car park attached to any Waitrose store as of the 300+ stores across the country it is only those in ‘dense urban areas’ or in partnerships (as they have been with the Council) that charge. All – or nearly all – others are free, even if the parking charge is in the form of a refund at the till.

We have asked Waitrose (John Lewis Partnership) for clarification and update and they informed us that they didn’t ‘have anything to add to our previous comment for the time being and remain in conversation with the council.’ So no change – at present.

At last night’s (Monday 20 April) meeting of the Town Council Planning Committee Cllr Kelvyn Shantry was vehemently opposed to this hours increase, for the reasons outlined above. (click here to view or download the meeting agenda, which includes the car park proposals). And also the increase in charges. Also he pointed out that Marlborough trading was suffering. The number of empty premises along and adjacent to the once-bustling High Street was testament to that, and making Marlborough less attractive to visitors and shoppers by raising the cost threshold would not help. As chair of the Town Centre Working Party, this, for him was very clear. A real threat.