Mayors of Sudbury and Hadleigh call for Babergh District Council's decision on proposals to cut free parking to be delayed

Plans to cut free parking in Sudbury and Hadleigh should be delayed until a major parking review is completed and the area has recovered from Covid-19, a letter from the two town mayors has urged.

This morning, Babergh District Council’s cabinet is set to make a decision on changes to parking in both towns, which would see the free parking period reduced from three hours to one hour, with charges applied for each hour parked beyond this.

Earlier proposals suggested reducing free parking to just 30 minutes, before the intervention of Babergh’s scrutiny committee last month. The committee also recommended that any changes should not be implemented before September, rather than July as initially planned.

But a joint letter by Sudbury mayor Jack Owen and Hadleigh counterpart Frank Minns called for no decision to be made on any change to current provisions until the Strategic Parking Review – planned across Babergh later this year – has been developed.

The letter, sent to Babergh’s cabinet on Friday, stated both Hadleigh and Sudbury town councils are very concerned by the proposals, arguing they would “damage business confidence” and make recovery from the coronavirus pandemic more difficult.

“Consultation with the town councils and the business owners must be an essential part of any major change to the parking scheme and this has not happened,” the letter reads.

“We are ready to work with you over this year to develop the rational for any necessary changes, but it must be done through consultation with all interested parties and must retain the popular support of our residents and business communities.”

The proposed changes, which would affect most car parks in Sudbury and Hadleigh, have faced significant opposition in both towns since they were unveiled in late December.

A petition against the plans, which was signed by more than 1,000 people, was debated by Babergh District Council in January, with concerns raised by some councillors about the reported lack of consultation with communities.

The district council’s leadership has stated the cost of subsidising the existing free parking arrangements created an annual deficit of £185,000 for the authority, preventing resurfacing work and upgrades to parking signs and ticket machines.

It also claimed that the planned parking charges are “modest sums” that would not deter people from visiting the strong retail offering in both town centres, adding that it would make operating the car parks more financially sustainable.

Last month, Babergh’s cabinet member for the environment, Elisabeth Malvisi, said: “To make our car parks move towards a position where they are able to stand alone, without incurring costs to be borne by Babergh taxpayers, something different has to be done.

“The claim that free parking will bring people into the town centre is a fallacy. People will travel if the offering is what they want.”

But the mayors of Sudbury and Hadleigh argued that small businesses are significantly aided by shoppers being able to leisurely explore the town, without worrying about overrunning their free parking period.

“Together, Hadleigh and Sudbury comprise the economic heart of Babergh, with a third of Babergh residents living within five miles of the town centre shops,” their joint letter reads.

“Both towns have many small independent retailers, who believe that their trade depends on casual shoppers wandering past and dropping in on a whim to make unplanned purchases.

“This is only possible if they are not worried about exceeding their parking time limit and the current three hours uncharged parking allows reasonable time for this style of shopping.

“The current proposals to reduce this to only one hour will damage business confidence and make the recovery from Covid-19 all the more difficult.

“We know that Babergh District Council intends to undertake a strategic parking review later this year, and we believe that this is the forum to consider any changes to the periods of uncharged town centre parking.

“This way, the impact of other changes, such as residents’ parking schemes which cover roads near the town centre, can also be considered.

“We call on you to postpone any decision until these processes have been completed and all the relevant facts have been fully considered.”

Babergh District Council’s cabinet meeting, which will determine how to proceed with the proposals, begins today at 9.30am.

The meeting can be watched online live via YouTube, and a replay will be available to view via the district council’s channel afterwards.

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