The Royal Parks will proceed with proposals to introduce parking charges in Richmond and Bushy Parks in all public car parks, bringing them in line with its parking policy across the rest of the Royal Parks and with many other similar public amenities.
The move follows a consultation for the proposal which ran from 7th September 2020 and closed on 1st November 2020 and which received more than 12,000 responses. In response to concerns raised in the consultation, The Royal Parks now proposes charging on weekdays between 9am and 4pm, during park opening times, rather than 9am to 6pm as originally outlined.
The charges will help the charity manage an ever-increasing demand for parking in a limited number of car parks, and aims to encourage many to use more sustainable ways to travel to the parks, both of which are designated as sites of special scientific interest, while ensuring that those who need to visit the parks by car can still do so.
Revenue raised will be spent on related infrastructure such as road surface maintenance, pedestrian facilities and other projects that aim to help visitors access the park without needing a car.
The introduction of parking charges requires the approval of Parliament. The proposal can only be tabled when the Parliamentary timetable allows, which is unlikely to be in the near future.
Information about the charge proposals
- Monday – Friday £1.40 per hour between 9am and 4pm whenever the car parks are open.
- Saturday and Sunday £2.00 per hour between 9am and 6pm whenever the car parks are open.
- There would be a maximum stay of six hours in any one car park.
- A set proportion of the available parking spaces would be designated for Blue Badge holders.
- Blue Badge holders and motorcycles would be exempt from the charges, but subject to the maximum stay limit
The consultation
Please see the below consultation paper and summary report for more information.
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