Parking charges in Richmond and Bushy parks to be scrapped (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)
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Mayor of London Boris Johnson to ditch Royal Parks' parking fee plan
1:51pm Thursday 20th May 2010 in News By Ian Mason
Saying no: Hundreds of campaigners gathered in Richmond Park in January to protest against parking charges
Parking charges in Richmond and Bushy parks are expected to be scrapped following the official opening of Parliament, it has emerged.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has confirmed its intention to transfer management of the Royal Parks to Mayor of London Boris Johnson - a move due to take effect following Parliament’s state opening by the Queen on Tuesday.
The power handover would give final say on the controversial charging scheme to the Mayor - and a Mayor’s office spokesman yesterday told the Richmond and Twickenham Times no parking fees would be introduced while Mr Johnson is in office.
He said: “At present the Mayor has no jurisdiction over Richmond Park (or Bushy), but his view is that the park is a fantastic historical resource and must be accessible for all Londoners.
“The Mayor would not introduce parking charges during this Mayoralty, and would only support such a measure thereafter if it had the backing of Londoners.”
The Government also issued veiled confirmation that plans to charge drivers up to £1 an hour for parking would likely soon be ditched.
A DCMS spokesman said: “The Government is committed to transferring management of the Royal Parks, including Richmond and Bushy, to the Mayor’s office, and the Mayor’s position on the issue of charging is, of course, a matter of public record.”
Ironically the latest development in a saga which began in January, 2009, comes just days after the Royal Parks applied to Richmond Council for planning permission to install pay and display machines in all of the borough open spaces’ car parks.
Richmond Park’s new MP, Zac Goldsmith, said the application “won’t make any difference” to the outcome while MP for Twickenham, Vince Cable, described it as “a rather futile act”.
Both MPs were adamant that parking charges would not be introduced.
The news will no doubt delight thousands of campaigners, who feared they had lost their battle when, in February, the House of Lords failed to scrap the charging plan approved by the previous Labour Government.
However, chairman of the Friends of Bushy and Home Parks, Pieter Morpurgo, called for action to continue until the parking charge proposals are officially ditched.
He said: “We should encourage as many people as possible to continue to object to the planning application until such time as we have an assurance in writing that the plans to charge for car parking in Bushy Park (and Richmond) will be permanently dropped.”
Julie Hill says...
3:15pm Thu 20 May 10
Perhaps expecting the Liberal Democrats to retain control of Richmond Council – after all former Cabinet Member for Transport, ex councillor David Trigg had already suggested they link their charges to the parked car CO2 tax con - the Royal Parks submitted a planning application on 30th April 2010.
If The Royal Parks Agency formed in order to make money, it is not surprising that this planning application, numbered 10/1192 was submitted by Ray Brodie, Parks Manager.
It states:
Installation of pay & display parking machines, ancillary signage, and wooden bollards at three car parks at Bushy Royal Park (The Diana Car Park, Broom Clumps Car Park and the Clapperstile car park located outside the park wall to the north west).
Aside from the unfairness of charging people who cannot cycle or walk to the Park for relaxation and the badly thought out idea of 20mph along Chestnut Avenue - which actually causes more pollution in Bushy Park, just imagine the clutter caused by parking machines, marked bays, bollards, endless signage and the cost of enforcement officers....
Do we really want all this in our lovely Royal Parks?
I encourage readers to object or comment on this application by cutting and pasting this link or writing to Lucy Thatcher, Planning Officer, Richmond Council, Civic Centre, York Road, Twickenham Tw1.
http://idoxwam.richm
ond.gov.uk/WAM/showC
aseFile.do?&appNumbe
r=10/1192/FUL