‘incredibly reasonable’

Summer visitors using Whitstable car parks will put an extra £123,000 a year in council coffers.

The authority proposes introducing a seasonal parking charge, with users charged 30p more an hour between April and September.

The hourly rate currently stands at £1.10 all year round, but will jump to £1.50 at the turn of April, before dropping to £1.20 when the season ends in October.

The charging period will also be extended an hour each day until 9pm to cover the cost of an early-morning free parking incentive introduced this year.

The trial - which is estimated to cost the council £60,000 a year - offers free parking before 10am and will continue.

Cllr Simon Cook (pictured) said: “The free parking in the mornings has gone very well, but it has cost us a little bit more than we thought it would.

“We are going to iron it out by extending parking into the evening and we do not think that is a particularly big ask of people.”

One of the sharpest increases in the district will be felt by Sydenham Street residents buying their annual car park permit.

They currently pay £20 a year for the pass, but the cost will rise to £275 by 2019 – a staggering 1,300%.

Cllr Cook said: “The £20 parking permit for a year had to come to an end at some point.

“I know it is increasing a lot more, but people are still paying a relatively small amount of money for parking for the year.

“I know it is a big increase, but it is still incredibly reasonable.”