Parking charges may be introduced at the George Park and Ride site near Marjon University, if plans backed by Plymouth City Council go ahead.
The council’s cabinet, who unanimously approved a 21-day statutory consultation period for the introduction of a 24-hour fee of £1 in parking charges at the George, Coypool and Milehouse sites to help tackle the ‘financial black hole’ being faced by the committee, as well as other provisions being made.
A range of proposals have been set out in a report in a bid to help reduce costs by £26.2 million, to help bridge an unprecedented £37.6 million gap in the council’s budget.
The report stated: “This level of proposed charge would minimise the impact on the total cost of park and ride travel, whilst delivering the level of income required to support the city’s bus network. Furthermore, if implemented, it would be proposed that this revenue is protected to support the city’s bus network.
“The proposals would also look to ensure that there is sufficient placement of parking terminals at convenient locations across all three park and ride sites, such as where passengers board buses, and that they are ticketless, meaning motorists will not need to return to their cars to display any tickets.”
It is expected that this statutory consultation will get under way in late January or early February, and a final decision on the implementation of parking fees will be made once the consultation responses have been presented in full to the Council Cabinet at the end of this period.
A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said: “In November, cabinet members agreed to statutory consultation on proposals to introduce a £1 charge at each of our three park and ride car parks, allowing people to park for up to 24 hours. They also agreed that the income generated would be ringfenced to supporting the city’s bus network.
“The report explains, there will be public notices in the local media and at the park and ride sites, detailing the proposals and explaining how people can submit representations, over a 21-day period. These representations will then be presented back to Cabinet, with an officer recommendation, before a final decision is made.”
Full details can be found in the ‘Non-Commercial Route Options’ Cabinet report and minutes, which can be viewed at: https://democracy.plymouth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=254&MId=10062