Brighton and Hove council back free Sunday parking plans

Plans for free Sunday parking in Brighton and Hove took another step forward last night (Thursday March 27).

After more than 1,250 people signed a Liberal Democrat-led petition backing the proposal, Brighton and Hove City Council debated if the idea to waive both on and off-street tariffs would work.

The Green administration, with support from Friends of the Earth and Brighton and Hove Bus Company, claimed the “parking free-for-all” would lead to extra congestion.

But after it received the backing of opposition Conservative and Labour councillors, town hall officials have now been asked to go away and draw up detailed plans on how it would work.

Speaking to The Latest after last night’s meeting, Jeremy Gale, who created the petition and will stand for the Lib Dems in Central Hove at the next election, said: “It’s as good as we could have hoped for at this stage.

“To be honest I didn’t imagine the levels of hostility towards the council on this issue. All those hours out in the rain were really worth it.

“This is about those 1,280 who signed the petition. It has obviously touched a nerve.

“I think common sense has prevailed and it shows that despite having no representation either on the council or as city MPs, it shows we are able to shape policy.”

Conservative councillor Graham Cox said he supported the move and praised the Lib Dem members for bringing the petition forward.

But Green councillor Ian Davey said: “Brighton and Hove is one of the busiest destinations in the UK with latest estimates putting the number of visitors at ten million a year – and rising

“You only have to look at the seafront at any time of year to see that Sunday is often the busiest day [of the week].

“The impact of this on the road network is often clear for everyone to see. There are barely any spaces left in car parks.”

He added it would lead to increased congestion, damage the city’s bus service and lead to higher levels of air pollution.

Cllr Davey went onto say that a similar move in Aberystwyth, Wales had led to “chaos”.

It comes just weeks after the council announced a range of measures aimed at helping motorists.

This included lowering charges at weekends at London Road and Regency Square car parks, as well as allowing hotel guests to use the under-used Norton Road car park in Hove.

Cllr Davey said: “We need to balance the needs of residents and visitors A parking free-for-all would put residents at a disadvantage as it would mean they would have to join the search to find somewhere to park at weekends.”

A proposal to ask officials to draw up more detailed plans was passed by a vote of 29 to 21.

A decision on whether it will be introduced will be taken at a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee in May.