A progressive new measure allowing vehicles to park for up to 30 minutes free in Derbyshire Dales District Council’s town centre car parks will come into operation from 1 April.
For Dales residents, this comes on top of free parking with their resident permit in all of the District Council's car parks before 11am and after 3pm every day of the year.
The 30 minutes free quick-stay - which cannot be added to a longer period in the same car park - will apply in Ashbourne to Shawcroft, the Bus Station and Clifton Road, in Bakewell to Granby Road and the Market Place, in Matlock to Imperial Road (M&S), Lido, Olde Englishe, Spa Villas and Town Hall front and in Wirksworth to the Market Place.
Existing free car parks in the Council's control across the district remain free.
In another measure ratified by a full meeting of the District Council on Thursday night, some car parks will have a new flat rate all day tariff of £2, including car parks in the villages of Eyam, Over Haddon and Hartington, plus Ashbourne's Cattle Market and Matlock's Town Hall rear.
Seasonal charges will be introduced in tourism hotspot Matlock Bath, with an increase in current prices between the months of April and October but a substantial reduction to a flat rate all day £2.50 between November and March, to attract visitors out of the peak season.
Two other innovations in Ashbourne - lifting the four-hour restriction on the 191-space Shawcroft car park and making the Swimming Pool car park a £2 flat rate car park - will be delayed until April 2026, on completion of the Ashbourne Reborn programme.
The new measures were brought forward by a cross-party councillor working group, which carried out the first car parking review in 10 years. It ran for six weeks last year, with 1,931 survey responses from businesses, local workers, residents and visitors.
Also resulting from the review, more good news for Dales residents is a reduction in the price of a Discount Season Ticket from £555.30 to £480.00 per year, while all other permits/reserved bays fees will be frozen in 2025/2026.
While popular car parks at Monsal Head (rear), Baslow and Hathersage will see a 10% increase in charges from 1 April, current prices will be frozen at Monsal Head (front), Ashbourne's Fishpond Meadow and Swimming Pool, Bakewell's Agricultural Business Centre, Matlock's Bank Road and The Station and at Wirksworth's Barmote Croft.
There will be no increase either in coach parking, which will remain at £6.20 per stay.
At Thursday's meeting, Councillor Steve Flitter, Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green councillors, who serves on the car park review working group, praised the "tremendous amount of work" put into the review by officers.
Another working group member, Councillor Robert Archer said: "The officers have done a first class job providing us with really detailed data, excellent modelling and allowed us to form an excellent set of proposals, that gives us a really good balance of protecting revenue streams, which is important, but also keeping parking costs affordable for residents while created a much more flexible parking option for residents and visitors."
Last year the Council's car parking revenue amounted to just over £2.76 million, which represented almost 33% of the Council’s total revenue from fees and charges income. Fees and charges generate around 37% of the Council's budget, more than Council Tax, which generates around 30%.
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