Plans for free parking on market days in Stowmarket to be discussed
Mid Suffolk District Council’s cabinet will consider proposals for four hours free parking in council-owned short-stay car parks on either Thursday or Saturday afternoons, or both, at its meeting on 8 September.
It is one of a number of changes put forward following a review of the town’s car parks, aiming to manage demand, support the town centre and address parking issues faced by residents, visitors and town centre workers.
Other proposals include a reduction in some charges to encourage short-stay visitors to use short-stay car parks – easing pressure on long-stay spaces – and the introduction of more ticketless parking machines.
“We’ve listened to the feedback during our review which highlighted a desire for free parking to support the market.
"We know how important the market is for the town on Thursdays and Saturdays, so we think free parking on at least one of those afternoons could be a great way of encouraging more people in. Car parks also tend to be quieter in the afternoons.”
Meanwhile, the cheapest tariff in short-stay car parks remains £1 for two hours, councillors will consider aligning all car parks to a three-hour stay of £1.50 and a new four-hour tariff costing £2 would also be introduced in short-stays.
In long-stay car parks the two-hour tariff would be removed. Three and four hours parking would remain unchanged with the all-day charge increased from £2.50 to £3.
“Long stays are often full, and many all-day users who work in the town struggle to find spaces. More attractive tariffs are designed to encourage short-stay visitors to use short-stay car parks – where there is usually more capacity - to ease this pressure.
“Combined with the plan for free parking on market days, we are looking at making a total of 19 tweaks to make things easier for all different users. This is a balanced approach to managing car park demand, supporting the town centre and addressing residents’ concerns, and should complement on-street changes to parking if they are made by the county council.
“We will not be taking away the ability to pay in cash and we are actively looking to improve capacity as the town grows in popularity.”
Mid Suffolk District Council manages seven public car parks and one lorry park in Stowmarket. The Meadow Centre and Milton Road car parks are short-stay, with long-stays at Bury Street, Iliffe Way, Ipswich Street, Union Street and Union Street West.
Ticketless parking would not be introduced at Meadow Centre or Iliffe Way car parks because the Asda refund scheme requires customers to receive a printed voucher. Iliffe Way would also retain two hours parking for £1.
Mid Suffolk expects the net cost of implementing the changes would be up to £76,500.
Meanwhile, the council also proposes earmarking funding of up to £300,000 to implement a new on-street residents’ parking zone (RPZ) if a consultation by Suffolk County Council concludes that such a move is supported.
Residents around the train station have experienced long-standing on-street parking issues, with some commuters parking in residential streets for long periods to avoid car park charges.
The power to establish an RPZ belongs to Suffolk County Council as the highways authority, with a feasibility study into this work ongoing.
