Sawbridgeworth cafe owner calls on residents to fight East Herts Council plan to scrap free parking in town
A cafe owner is urging residents to contest plans by district council chiefs to scrap free parking periods and bring in tariffs for weekends in Sawbridgeworth.
East Herts Council has launched a consultation after proposing a raft of changes that will remove free 30-minute parking sessions and introduce new charges on Saturdays and Sundays.
Mike Mason, from 4T cafe and Pizza Squisita in Bell Street, told the Indie this week the changes will mean there will no incentive to come to the town and fears the biggest negative impact will be on the hospitality sector.
Mike’s fears were echoed by town mayor Cllr Greg Rattey who branded the plans “disgraceful”.
Cllr Rattey, who owns Toplines hairdressers in Bell Street, added: “Everybody is so upset by this. It’s disgraceful, we’re only just beginning to pick up after Covid.”
Mike Mason also organises a Coffee and Cars event on the second Sunday of the month with Lewis Warren where up to 200 classic cars turn up providing a boost for the town’s traders.
The event organised through Lewis’ clothing brand Takona is held to highlight the issue of men’s mental health and although having to pay for parking will inconvenience visitors Mike is confident it will not be affected.
“The biggest issue for me is whether the parking attendants are flexible,” added Mike who urged residents and regular visitors to the town to fill out a consultation form and protest about the changes.
East Herts councillor for Sawbridgeworth John Burmicz was also critical of the plans and suggested there should be other ways of saving money.
“Charging for parking at weekends is wrong, it's just the last straw [for businesses] isn’t it?” he said.
Cllr Graham McAndrew, executive member for environmental sustainability at East Herts Council said: “We understand the free period is popular with businesses, shoppers and motorists. However there are operational and administration costs linked to maintaining free parking during chargeable hours – costs that are currently paid for by the local taxpayers instead of the car park users. The changes will mean that all car park users cover the costs during chargeable hours.
“Set against the backdrop of unprecedented financial pressures, removing this subsidy will also help raise much-needed income to not only maintain our car parks but for other local services too. It is also hoped this would encourage more people out of their cars for shorter journeys, helping to reduce pollution and traffic congestion, improving the local environment for all.”
Cllr McAndrew added: “We liaise closely with the town council in Sawbridgeworth and always aim to support their requests to make use of the car park for events. Our parking team will be speaking to them directly about the various events they wish to run across the year to understand their requirements.
“We are presently in a period of statutory consultation so it would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome, but we would like to reassure residents that any changes to car park tariff structures will not impact our relationship with the town council and how we support them to run local community events in Bell Street Car Park.”
Objections to the proposals, stating grounds, must be emailed to dominique.kingsbury@eastherts.gov.uk. Alternatively, write to Dominique Kingsbury. East Herts Council, Parking Services, Wallfields, Pegs Lane, Hertford SG13 8EQ.
