Brighton resident raises petition against parking charges for Preston Park

A resident has accused Brighton and Hove City Council of creating the parking problem in Preston Park.

She reacted by raising a petition after the council announced that it intended to solve the Preston Park problem by banning parking in most of the places where it currently takes place.

Elsewhere a new pay and display scheme will be introduced, subject to a decision by Councillor Ian Davey, the council’s cabinet member for transport, on Tuesday (24 January).

Leia Monsoon’s petition is entitled: “Say no to pay and display in Preston Park.”

She is due to hand it in to Councillor Davey at Hove Town Hall on Tuesday shortly before he decides the future of parking in the park.

It has been signed by more than 250 people and says: “The council say there is a problem with parking in Preston Park.

“This is because of their seriously flawed parking scheme in the nearby roads, with extortionate costs to pay and display, which means bays are empty most of the time.

“They want to charge to park in Preston Park to raise money and then push cars into parking in the Surrenden Road area so they can justify trying to have a parking scheme there too.

“I am fed up with this council trying to squeeze more money out of us and doing so by giving us reasons which frankly insult our intelligence.

“The solution to the over use of Preston Park is to de-restrict the Preston Park Avenue parking to resident only between 1pm to 2pm like they have here by the station.

“This will reduce commuter parking but allow people to use the park without blocking inner roads.”

Sport clubs have also objected to the new proposals, saying that it will hamper members who bring heavy and large items of equipment to the park.

The council said that pay and display was necessary to cover the costs of enforcement. The forecast £10,000 profit from the scheme would be reinvested in the park, it said.

Under the scheme drivers will have to pay to park in The Ride and The Gallop.

A report said that residents, commuters and visitors to Brighton were parking there rather than park users.

The new rules will also prevent people from parking on the London Road side of the park at all.

In a consultation fewer than 40 per cent agreed with this restriction while 44.5 per cent opposed it.