Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
PARKING CHARGES PLANED FOR GUNNERSBURY
CONSULTATION UNDER WAY OVER PLANNED CAR PARKING FEES WHICH WOULD COME INTO EFFECT NEXT YEAR
CHARGES for parking at Gunnersbury Park and Museum may be on the horizon, with a consultation under way about a new hourly rate.
Gunnersbury Estate Community Interest Company (CIC) went out to the public last week to get opinions on changes that would come into effect in early 2020.
According to documents online, the charge would likely be in the area of £1 per hour, and charges would apply whenever the car park is open.
The document goes on to say: “We intend to contract a company that specialises in car parking management who would regularly patrol the car parks and also ensure that the mechanisms for paying for parking were in working order.
“Charges would apply to everyone using the car park including sports hub users and park and museum visitors.”
Payments will likely be able to be made by card.
The CIC said the charges were to raise funds for the maintenance and ongoing improvement of the park, museum and its services.
The charges would also mean the parking areas are available to visitors to the estate and spaces are not taken up by commuters or unlicensed commercial users.
To this end, the CIC intends to also impose a maximum stay.
A CIC statement reads: “Many visitors and local residents will have noticed the improvement to the condition of the estate in recent years and, whilst Heritage Lottery funding kick-started this process, maintaining and improving these higher standards will mean that the cost of running the estate will be higher than it was in the past.”
The CIC has a target to raise £2 million a year by 2022 to meet management and maintenance costs.
Gunnersbury Estate CIC is a notfor-profit organisation that manages Gunnersbury Park and Museum on a long lease from Ealing and Hounslow councils.
Funding from the local councils is not enough to run the estate, and other income sources being looked at include via grants, the onsite café, shop, commercial tenants and by holding weddings, filming and major public events.
Revenues from the parking would be ringfenced to be spent only at Gunnersbury Park and Museum.
CIC CEO David Bowler said: “We appreciate that introducing car parking charges is a substantial change to the way the estate here has been operated in the past but feel that this is an important step in helping to secure Gunnersbury’s financial future.
“We are keen to hear what our visitors and local residents think of the proposals and how we could best implement the change.
The consultation runs until November 4.
Some small parking improvement works will be carried out on the existing car park this year but anything substantial will no be doable until more funding is raised.
Disabled visitors with blue badges will receive free parking in the same way as is provided in the local council operated car parks.
Gunnersbury Park and Museum boasts 75 hectares of parkland in the heart of west London, which is open free of charge throughout the year.
A Georgian mansion at the centre of the estate is home to the museum (also open free of charge) which is responsible for the care of more than 40,000 objects that reflect the history of west London and its people.
Parking on the roads around Gunnersbury is already tightly controlled through the use of controlled parking zones (CPZ) and red route restrictions, therefore it is not anticipated that the roads will be obstructed by park visitors.