Change to Preston Park parking fee is ‘not enough’

3:20pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in News By Ben Parsons

Cars parked in Preston Park Avenue, Brighton Cars parked in Preston Park Avenue, Brighton

Football teams are to stay away from a “flagship” park despite a proposed reduction in car parking charges.

Brighton and Hove City Council is planning to suspend pay-and-display parking in Preston Park, Brighton, until 2pm every Saturday and Sunday to ease costs for weekend sportspeople.

But the Brighton, Hove and District Football League – which stopped using the park’s pitches because of the fees – said the change will not be enough.

Brighton and Hove City Council imposed parking fees in May between 9am and 6pm, costing up to £3 for a six-hour maximum stay.

Since this, sports clubs asked for the fees to be lifted to allow them to use the park for free for after-school events and weekend mornings.

The council’s environment and sustainability committee is due to decide on February 6 whether to reintroduce free parking until 2pm on Saturday and Sunday and after 4pm in the week.

Members are being told the move would benefit the park’s cycle club, two tennis clubs, the Preston Park Soccer School, the junior league football club and the cricket club.

But Ian Farrell, chairman of the Brighton, Hove and District Football League, said the league pulled out of the park because of the fees and will not be coming back even when the changes are made.

Pitch fees

He said kick-off for his league is 1.30pm – meaning charges will come into force during playing time.

He said: “This is no good to us.

“We love playing at Preston Park. It is a flagship park.

“But we specifically pulled out of playing there because of the pitch fees.”

The council’s report on the matter says it could not totally lift parking restrictions because people would leave their cars there all weekend.

If passed, the reduction is due to be introduced in the spring.

Ahead of the meeting, the committee’s chairman, Coun Pete West, said: “We are trying to balance the needs of various groups, from those who petitioned us to take action on parking, to those who say they need to drive into the park.”

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Comments(19)

banargustrolls says...
3:25pm Thu 31 Jan 13

He's right it isn't enough, greedy council money-grabbers are just ruining the park for people.

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668 The neighbour of the beast says...
3:33pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Perhaps the council would be more supportive if the teams attached caravans to their cars and just parked on the grass?

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upsidedowntuctuc says...
3:40pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Oh yes shows the double standards at work with these Greens.
Spend millions on anti motorist schemes killing the City center hiding behind it 'encouraging' (Bullying) people to take healthy alternatives like walking and cycling and yet here they are putting barriers up and increasing costs to people wanting to play sports not just football either many other parks have had their charges increased for their facilities.
Just another kick in the teeth for motorists and before the Bricycle brigade get on here saying people could cycle there to play football not all 'away' teams are from the area so to cycle from Haywards heath to play against a team in Preston Park is hardly practical

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Fight_Back says...
3:49pm Thu 31 Jan 13

So yet more income lost because of short sighted Green policy !!!!! I wonder what will help fund this new black hole ?

The answer is simple - FREE parking for 4 hours, regardless of day or time, after that a ticket from a friendly warden. That would stop commuters from parking all day. Common sense isn't really something these Green Councillors have is it ?

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fredflintstone1 says...
4:17pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Yep, three Green Councillors in this ward, and they're incapable of coming up with a practical solution. What hope is there?

(I'm assuming Amy Kennedy is still a councillor?)

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pwlr1966 says...
5:17pm Thu 31 Jan 13

The Greens have lost twice here as the football teams also pay for the football pitches. Double wammy

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Hove Actually says...
5:37pm Thu 31 Jan 13

The slimy greens have lost nothing.....
The Brighton & Hove TAX PAYER is the only loser

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NickBtn says...
5:58pm Thu 31 Jan 13

If the aim is to stop commuters and all weekend parkers then put single yellow lines in with various times prohibited. This is simple and solves the stated problem whilst letting people enjoy the park

This was suggested before introduction but wasn't followed. Why? Thoughts of all that parking revenue perhaps...... This hasn't worked as people avoiding the park. It's a lose-lose

So why not do the simple thing. Single yellow lines, with no parking eg 9-10 in one section, 12-1 in another etc. Will prevent extended stayers but easy to enforce and implement

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lorrie1 says...
6:20pm Thu 31 Jan 13

The picture shown isnt even Preston park ave! its the slip rd by the side, called the ride! Get your facts right argus, This article looks like it was written by a 6year old.

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keswick says...
7:14pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Fight_Back wrote:
So yet more income lost because of short sighted Green policy !!!!! I wonder what will help fund this new black hole ? The answer is simple - FREE parking for 4 hours, regardless of day or time, after that a ticket from a friendly warden. That would stop commuters from parking all day. Common sense isn't really something these Green Councillors have is it ?
Exactly as you say the answer is so simple but there again you are dealing with Green councillors who are as you say totally devoid of common sense. You have also failed to take in to account that the Green Party is totally anti car even if the dreaded car is taking people to a park to exercise. As for councillors caring your having a laugh. On two occasions I asked mine to help me with a problem with a department in the council and twice I was ignored but the same person has plenty of toime to worry about a shop selling pink bikes. Sums them all up. Personally I cannot wait for May 14 when they are begging for votes and then perhaps Mr Rufus will explain his inaction personally.

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On_the_Level says...
7:26pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Bad news seems to follow this council around like some sort of pariah state...

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Hoarder12345444 says...
8:04pm Thu 31 Jan 13

The pathetic NIMBY residents and the Rotunda cafe started their silly little petition to bring the charges in. It's awful. Ok so less people park there, including me, but what has it achieved? A popular central Brighton park that you have to pay for to park in. Horrendous.

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makoshark says...
8:40pm Thu 31 Jan 13

I truly hope that the good people of Brighton & Hove come to their senses sooner rather than later and rid themselves of this incapable, inept and totally laughable current administration.
The area is now the butt of so many jokes but the Green Party introducing pricing policies that drive people away from healthy pursuits is just beyond belief... Lets just hope the residents realise their past mistakes and rid themselves of the current blight at an earliest time, if not sooner!

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george smith says...
10:06pm Thu 31 Jan 13

I thought they bought in the parking charges as the area was knee deep in new age travellers vans and they couldn't think of another way of getting rid of them. As mentioned above where is ms Kennedy? How long has it been since she last worked?

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musesboy says...
8:52am Fri 1 Feb 13

I've been a Green supporter ever since the party started and I think they've been doing some excellent work. The council has very little money and is struggling to keep services running. Nonetheless, they have it completely wrong on parking and parking charges and it beggars belief how intransigent they were originally. Only now have they agreed to start lowering charges but for me and other Green supporters it's too little, too late and I'll be very surprised if they get back in. Just one thing to be wary of though, who exactly are you going to put in place as the Labour and Tory councillors have shown absolutely no talent for anything except to attack the other parties. (with the help of their loyal interns on these boards of course)? Are they going to reverse the parking charges? Let's hear what they would do differently and still keep the budgets balanced.

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Fairfax Sakes says...
10:13am Fri 1 Feb 13

Reduce price for resident permits, increase the price of parking throughout Brighton. This would have the dual effect of raising more income for the council whilst also keeping the rabble and Londoners at more manageable levels for those of us who have to live here. A simple win win as I see it.

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Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit says...
11:03am Fri 1 Feb 13

musesboy wrote:
I've been a Green supporter ever since the party started and I think they've been doing some excellent work. The council has very little money and is struggling to keep services running. Nonetheless, they have it completely wrong on parking and parking charges and it beggars belief how intransigent they were originally. Only now have they agreed to start lowering charges but for me and other Green supporters it's too little, too late and I'll be very surprised if they get back in. Just one thing to be wary of though, who exactly are you going to put in place as the Labour and Tory councillors have shown absolutely no talent for anything except to attack the other parties. (with the help of their loyal interns on these boards of course)? Are they going to reverse the parking charges? Let's hear what they would do differently and still keep the budgets balanced.
Good points. The city wasn't a harmonious, smooth-running operation that the Greens have somehow ruined, rather a lot of the rot had set in with the last Labour administration - and the 20mph plan was originally a Tory idea!

We need to know what the other parties intend to do to get Brighton flowing again.

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Joshiman says...
2:51pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Just mention Brighton to anyone in the World and they fall about laughing.
We need normal people running our Council,who understand the frustrations of everyone and that includes cyclists/pedestrians
/car drivers,law abiders,The Council should work for the residents of Brighton not do what they want and ignoring the views of their voters.

Report this post »

Joshiman says...
2:51pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Just mention Brighton to anyone in the World and they fall about laughing.
We need normal people running our Council,who understand the frustrations of everyone and that includes cyclists/pedestrians
/car drivers,law abiders,The Council should work for the residents of Brighton not do what they want and ignoring the views of their voters.

Report this post »

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