East Suffolk Council
£1million to be invested in East Suffolk car parks
East Suffolk Council is investing £1 million in car park infrastructure, including new contactless payment terminals, EV chargers, new cycle racks and signage, as well as introducing a suite of new parking tariffs in the district.
As part of an annual review of its fees and charges, the Council has agreed to retain the 30 minutes free parking available in many council-owned car parks and to introduce several new tariffs to reduce congestion at peak times of the year.
To reflect the increased number of visitors coming to the district from further afield during the summer, new seasonal tariffs will be introduced in car parks in popular tourist destinations. Running from 1 March to 31 October in some council-owned car parks in Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, Lowestoft and Southwold, the new seasonal tariff will be higher than off-season and aims to ease the demand on busy car parks during the main tourism season.
New tariffs will also be introduced to allow campervans and motorhomes, HGVs and coaches to park in designated car parks in the district, with limitations on the length of stay.
The new parking fees, which were agreed at a meeting of East Suffolk Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 7 January, also include an increase to parking costs for the first time since 2020. Despite increased costs for running the parking service, parking costs have remained unchanged in council-owned car parks for four years. A two-hour parking session currently costs £1.50, however from 1 April, it will rise to £2.00, and a 4-hour session will rise from £3.00 to £3.50.
Cllr Tim Wilson, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport said: “We are investing a much needed £1million into our car parks to improve parking for the benefit of residents, visitors and businesses across the district. Car parking fees must be spent on car parking infrastructure and other local facilities, so we can look forward to better maintenance of our car parks and their surroundings too.
“Parking fees haven’t risen in four years, and over that time the council has carried the cost of inflation – now we need to catch parking fees up with inflation, so that’s where it will now be, and no higher. Parking in a council-owned car park still compares favourably with other similar locations, with council-owned car park fees being approximately 20% cheaper than alternative parking options, and our new charges still compare favourably to other tourism destinations and our neighbouring councils.”
Other changes include the option to park for longer in short-stay car parks and reduced parking prices in car parks out of town centres to encourage people to park further afield and walk into town.
Contactless payment terminals will be introduced to give drivers more choice when paying for parking. This will be in addition to paying through a parking app or with cash.
The Council sets fees and charges for a wide range of services including car park charges, planning application and building control fees, licence fees, land search fees, beach hut rents and cemetery charges. Some fees are fixed by Government and some are discretionary.