THE date an increase to parking charges in Wiltshire Council car parks comes into effect has been pushed back to “allow final system checks to be completed”, the council has announced.
The changes due to be implemented across the county from Tuesday (September 1), will now come into effect on Friday (September 4).
A council spokesperson has said: “The additional time will allow final system checks to be completed, ensuring the new arrangements are introduced smoothly and efficiently for residents, businesses and visitors.
“By taking this extra time to fully prepare, the council is helping to ensure a reliable and positive customer experience from the outset.”
Changes to charges and arrangements come following a public consultation that received 1,762 responses. In response to feedback from residents, businesses and town and parish councils, the council amended or withdrew several of its original proposals.
Parking charges have remained unchanged since 2022, despite inflation increasing by around 28% during that period. Next week, pay and display parking charges will increase by an average of 20%, rounded to the nearest 10p.
Season ticket and permit charges will also increase in line with the revised tariffs, though these remain heavily discounted against the normal daily parking charge.
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Some parking arrangements have also been revised to reflect the different roles played by short-stay and long-stay car parks.
Leader of Wiltshire Council, Councillor Ian Thorn, said: “Parking charges haven’t risen in Wiltshire since 2022, and given significant inflation during that time, we had to raise them now to help pay for the increasing costs in providing the service and to reinvest in our wider transport infrastructure, including our rural bus network.
“That said, we have listened to feedback we received during the consultation and made several changes to our original proposals as a result.
“These changes strike a balance between supporting our town and city centres, managing parking effectively and ensuring we can continue to invest in transport and highways services across Wiltshire.
“The changes also reflect our commitment in Our Wiltshire Plan to improve public transport options across the county.”
To help support leisure and community-based activities, the council decided Sunday charging hours will remain as they currently are, from 10am rather than the proposal to extend charges to start at 7am.
Parking charges are being extended to 7am-7pm in short-stay car parks only, with long stay car parks retaining the 8am-6pm charging hours.
While Sunday on-street parking charges will not be introduced in Salisbury, Sunday tariffs will be aligned with weekday tariffs in short-stay car parks with long-stay car parks continuing with a day-rate charging structure.
Long-stay car parks will keep the existing charging hours, with the exception of Dunns Lane car park in Castle Combe. Described by the council as having “a distinct role in city centre hospitality and leisure”, existing charging hours for The Maltings car park in Salisbury will also remain.
Charges will be introduced for weekend public use of selected council-owned car parks, including County Hall in Trowbridge and the Bridge Centre in Chippenham.
Sunday charging will not be introduced at Cross Hayes, Malmesbury, or Marlborough High Street, as these are on-street car parks.
For more information, visit the Wiltshire Council website.
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