THE borough council is proposing to charge people £12.80 to use its car parks at Eastrop in a move which has caused outrage.

Signs have been put up around Eastrop Park advising users of the proposed parking charges, which would see charges of £1.10 for up to an hour; £2.20 for two hours; £3.20 for three hours; £4.30 for four hours; and £12.80 for anyone staying longer than four hours.

The charges would apply from 8am until 7pm Monday to Sunday, with evening charges of £2.20.

In comparison, Festival Place charges £4 for four hours’ parking, increasing by £1 for each hour up until eight hours when the charge is £9.50. Festival Place charges £16 to use its car park for 24 hours.

Lower Basing View Car Park, owned by the council, which is a short walk over a bridge to get to Eastrop, costs £8.50 for more than four hours.

Eastrop car parks are currently meant to open at 10am, preventing them being used by those working near the town centre or commuting from parking there all day. 

Yesterday, Eastrop Park’s toilets were all closed with ‘out of order’ signs placed on the doors, the café and boat hire were shut, and the paddling pool remains closed.

The borough council website states that the opening of the café and boathouse is ‘weather dependent’ but generally opens from 11.30am to 5.30pm in the school holidays and at weekends from Easter until the end of September.

The council has said the introduction of charges will “support the environmental maintenance and improvement of the park and better manage use of the car parks”.

However, the Gazette understands the council has received dozens of objections from angry park users who have always enjoyed free parking in the two car parks.

One objector, who forwarded her comment to the Gazette, lives near Eastrop Park and said: “Imposing parking charges would have a huge effect on the street I live in with people parking here instead of at the car parks. This would make the street more dangerous for my own children with drivers parking on pavements and turning at the end of our cul-de-sac.

“The park and community centre provide important meeting places for families. The parking charges will be a barrier for people accessing the community centre, especially for children’s activities and vulnerable people.”

She added: “Surely our children have the right to play in the park and parents to socialise without having to for out for parking? The park should be accessible to everyone, not just those that can afford it.”

Comments can be made until July 17 by emailing engineering@basingstoke.gov.uk.

The council has been asked for a comment.

Regarding the toilet closure, the council’s cabinet member for recycling waste and regulatory services, Cllr Hayley Eachus, said: “The toilets at Eastrop Park have had to be temporarily closed for maintenance and a deep clean due to vandalism.

“Our contractors are working hard to reopen the facilities as soon as possible. In the meantime we apologise for any inconvenience caused to park users.”

What do you think of the proposed charges? Let us know by emailing Emily.roberts@newsquest.co.uk.