2020/21 Hylands Estate Parking Consultation Report and Proposals
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2020/21 Hylands Estate Parking Consultation Report and Proposals Foreword We announced in our Budget in February that we would begin charging for parking at Hylands later in 2021. There are three good reasons for this: 1. It has become apparent to us that there are many people from outside of Chelmsford who travel regularly to the park but pay nothing towards it. This is not surprising as nearly all country parks charge for parking. It would be fairer if non- residents made a contribution. 2. As parking is not regulated at all in the park, at peak times many cars are parked on verges, damaging the grass and causing a hazard to pedestrians and other traffic. 3. Covid-19 has created a large shortfall to the City Council’s finances, much of which will be permanent. Chelmsford Borough Council bought Hylands in 1966. It is a fantastic asset that Chelmsford is rightly proud of, and it’s vital we maintain it to a very high standard. But that costs the City Council around £½ million every year, even after taking account of the money earned from weddings and other events. Where should the Council find that £½ million? Also, in 2019-20, the Council lost £17 million of expected income. Much of that will recover over time, but there will be an ongoing shortfall of perhaps £2 million. It’s not fair that Chelmsford residents should be asked to make up that shortfall, possibly by cutting services such as bin collections, when Hylands is enjoyed by so many non-residents who currently pay nothing towards its upkeep. The Council expects the charges to take effect from 20 September and have been shaped by the consultation carried out earlier this year. This document reports back on that consultation, setting out the questions and responses, and explains how we now propose to operate the charges. The next stage is the formal consultation when we apply for regulatory approval to introduce the charges. 1 Introduction Between 16 February and March 16, 2021, Chelmsford City Council invited users of Hylands Estate to take part in its parking consultation, which focused on proposed charges at the estate’s three car parks. This summary report is split into two parts: • Details about the proposed scheme This includes information on initial suggestions put to respondents about how the scheme might work, feedback from the consultation, and the proposals which are now being put forward. These proposals will now form part of a Traffic Regulation Order and will be subject to approval by the Council’s Regulatory Committee. If approved, it is proposed to implement this scheme from 20 September 2021. • A summary of the consultation responses This section includes an analysis of the survey together with an assessment of the most common responses to open questions. The proposed scheme The Council agreed to implement parking charges at Hylands Estate on 24 February. The purpose of this consultation was not to determine whether charges should be levied at Hylands, but how the scheme should best operate. The consultation has provided the Council with useful insights which have helped to shape the final proposals. The main elements of the scheme that will go ahead from 20 September, subject to obtaining regulatory approval this summer, are as follows: Daily charging rates Initial proposal An all-day parking charge (rather than hourly parking charges) was proposed as part of the consultation. It was proposed that visitors who do not pay council tax in the Chelmsford City Council area would pay £5 to park at Hylands. It was also proposed that residents of the Chelmsford City Council area would be entitled to a discount of 40%, which would reduce their all-day charge to £3. Parking charges would apply between 9am and 6pm at all three of the estate’s car parks. Drivers visiting Hylands before and after these times would not be charged. Consultation feedback Answers to some questions were particularly relevant in setting an appropriate daily charging rate. These included answers to the following questions: • Respondents were asked in Question 15 how much time they typically spent at Hylands Estate during a visit. 63.5% of those who took part in the consultation said that they usually spent between one to two hours at the estate. The next most common group (26.87%) of visitors spent two to four hours at the estate. 7.97% said that they visited for 30 minutes to an hour. 2 • Another question (Q.7) asked how often respondents visited the estate. The largest group (32.10%) said that they travelled to Hylands monthly. 26.93% said they visited a few times a year and 24.78% said they came to the estate weekly. • Question 5 asked if those completing the survey were Chelmsford residents. 77.41% said they paid council tax in the Chelmsford City Council area. Final proposal In reaching a final recommendation about daily charges for the estate’s car parks, careful consideration was given to both the data from responses to these questions and suggestions made by residents. Some respondents expressed a wish for much lower parking charges than those which apply elsewhere in the city, with flat all-day charges of £1, and an hourly rate of 50p both suggested. However, these rates would not be effective in generating the income required of this scheme. There was also an appraisal of whether hourly charges might be a better option for residents driving to the estate. Rates set at other Essex country parks were considered for comparison. 91.76% of those who responded to the consultation said that they normally spent more than an hour at Hylands Estate. Visitors parking at similar local country parks can expect to pay a minimum of around £3 if they stay for more than an hour. Therefore, flat whole-day charges of £3 for Chelmsford residents and £5 for non-residents were judged to be better value than hourly parking rates for the majority of resident visits to the estate. A number of other important factors were also considered. A one-off daily charge was felt to be a simple approach, clear to all visitors irrespective of the length of their stay. An all-day charge would also encourage visitors to stay in the park longer which would alleviate some congestion caused by very short visits at busy times and would remove the need for visitors to extend tickets or rush back to avoid a penalty notice. The timings of all-day parking charges were also reconsidered. Since reducing car park congestion is an important aspect of this proposal, it was felt that free parking before 9am and after 6pm should remain to encourage more visitors to use the car parks at the quietest times, particularly at weekends and bank holidays when the estate is busiest. Finally, some respondents were concerned that daily parking charges might deter regular resident visits to Hylands Estate. A resident season ticket is also being proposed, which would allow those who frequently drive to the estate a more affordable option. These details can be found in the following section. Recommendation for daily charges: A standard all-day charge of £5.00, applicable every day between 09:00 and 18:00 hours in each of the estate’s three car parks and any other designated parking areas, is recommended. A Chelmsford resident discount of 40% on the standard daily charge will be available, reducing the price for residents to £3. 3 Season Ticket Initial proposal The Hylands parking consultation proposed that residents paying council tax in the Chelmsford City Council area could have an option to buy a season ticket to further reduce the cost of parking at Hylands Estate. This option would most benefit regular visitors who drive to the estate. A proposed price was not included in the consultation. Consultation feedback Question 23 of the consultation asked respondents if an annual season ticket would be of interest, particularly for frequent Hylands car park users. 34.11% said this would be of interest to them. There were a significant number of comments submitted suggesting that interest would depend on the price of a season ticket. Those who said they were interested in a season ticket were also asked how they would prefer to pay for this (Q.24). 65.27% said they would like to pay annually, whereas 34.73% of this group would prefer a monthly Direct Debit option. Some residents commented that daily charges would unfairly deter habitual visitors of Hylands Park from using it for regular exercise. Final proposal A season ticket is a key part of these proposals for Chelmsford residents who regularly park at Hylands Estate. This is especially important for those who visit Hylands during the week for exercise, dog-walking, and to socialise with friends. Residents are most likely to use Hylands Estate in this way and so a residents’ season ticket option remains part of the final recommendations. This season ticket could be used between Monday and Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) to make lower-cost parking available for the park’s most frequent visitors. Weekends and Bank Holidays have not been included because this is when the estate’s car parks are most often full, and this will help to ease congestion. Although there is normally capacity between Monday-Friday, a season ticket does not guarantee a parking space. Recommendation for resident season tickets • A weekday season ticket (excluding Bank Holidays) for Chelmsford residents at an annual cost of £60.00 a year. A monthly £5.00 Direct Debit option will also be available for those wishing to pay in this way.