FURY OVER NEW PARKING FEES
PRICES SLAMMED AS ‘DISGUSTING’, WHILE RESIDENTS FEAR RISE IN NUMBER OF CARS ON STREETS
PAY and display car park charges are to be introduced at Heaton Park leaving some users and nearby residents unhappy.
Currently, visitors pay £1.50 at weekends, on Bank Holidays and during school holidays.
But it will cost £1 for an hour, £2 for up to three hours and £3 for longer from Monday to Sunday, between 10am and 5pm when the new pay scheme comes in. There is the option of an annual permit, with prices ranging from £25 to £75.
While some people are happy to pay – particularly if the money raised is being ploughed back into the park – others say the fees are ‘disgusting’ and should be covered by council tax.
The pay-on-arrival format has also been criticised, with families saying they don’t know how long their trip is going to last so they’ll end up paying the maximum to avoid being fined.
Mum Shau Ting Kan says Heaton Park’s facilities for children – including the new play area which opened in October – are disappointing and not worth paying for. She said: “I would not mind one jot paying towards a park where the facilities were actually good for children. The money spent and the time taken last year for the new play area was ridiculous. It was all style over substance – the worst were the wobbly slides.
“Even though Heaton Park is close to us, I’d rather travel further to a park where there is a better play area.”
Mel Fernandez is mum to four-yearold Riva, and Monty, two, and lives round the corner from the park. She said: “I think it’s disgusting actually. How much money does the park make already from council money and all the events that go on throughout the year, including the awful Parklife?”
Resident Louis Eckersall said whenever there have been car park charges there, parking in the nearby streets is ‘atrocious.’ He added: “I think the council should rethink this.”
Despite the concerns, others are happy to pay – saying the public shouldn’t expect such facilities to be free. Adele Sullivan said: “If the money is going towards the upkeep of the park then we have no reason or right to complain.”
Gemma Batty added: “I think there’s a lot of focus on the play area when thinking of this parking charge. Personally, the charges might stop me from nipping to the playground with my toddler a few times a week, but it wouldn’t stop me going to spend longer at the park. This is about the entire park, we’re really very lucky to have this on our doorstep and if the money goes towards the upkeep of the grounds, animals and carparks then great, we shouldn’t expect that stuff for free.”