Anger over parking charge plan
Hurley: Councillors urged to rethink proposed tariff in village’s car park, as it will ‘lead to chaos’
Angry residents in Hurley have asked the Royal Borough to rethink plans to introduce charging in the village’s car park.
The council has proposed to implement payment in a number of free outof-town car parks as part of its draft 2021/22 budget.
But one of the 12 car parks set to be impacted by the change, in Hurley
High Street, is causing concern among villagers who are worried the alterations could simply cause more vehicles to park dangerously on nearby roads and grass verges.
Current restrictions on residential roads in Hurley only limit parking during the summer months on
Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Councillor David Cannon (Con, Datchet, Horton, and Wraysbury), the council’s lead member for parking, said earlier in January that it was not ‘feasible’ for the council to maintain free car parks while having low council tax during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He raised these points after opposition councillors had claimed the proposed changes – which are up for consultation until tomorrow (Friday) – would cause parking ‘chaos’.
Hurley parish councillor David Burfitt said turning the village’s car park into a chargeable one would worsen an already recurring issue.
The riverside location is popular with walkers and swimmers and experienced poor visitor parking during the hot summer months.
Cllr Burfitt said: “We do not see why
it has to be charged for, to be honest. The council are going to get less [money] than they think they are going to get; it is going to push people to park on the high street.
“The residents will have much more difficulty getting out of their houses, and the elderly won’t be able to come down to the shop if it is full of people parking there for nothing.
“I think the council really need to think again about charging for it.”
Cllr Burfitt also noted that parking on Hurley’s narrow roads causes them to become single-track, with limited passing places.
He said this could cause an issue for emergency vehicles and for his own farming business, which sometimes uses the road to transport heavy machinery and trailers.
He added: “I don’t think they are going to have their traffic wardens coming out on a daily basis, it won’t be economical for them.
“I do sympathise that they [the council] have had difficulties in the past, but if they upset the people of Hurley there might be less Conservative votes for them next time round.”
The Royal Borough had not responded to a request for comment at the time the Advertiser went to press.