Charges at Ashdown Forest’s car parks will help ‘urgent need for funding’

The Board of Conservators consulted on introducing the charges last year and agreed to their implementation in January.

Before they can be introduced, the county council has to sign off on the proposed tariffs and this was done by Nick Bennett, lead member for resources and climate change at a meeting on Thursday (April 28).

Although they have yet to be finalised pending a parking management contractor being secured, they would be in the following range:  £1.50 to £2.00 for up to one hour, £2.50 for up to two hours, £4.00 for up to four hours, £5.00 to £6.00 for an all-day pass (16 hours) – no overnight parking and between £80 to £100 for an annual parking pass.

James Adler, chief executive of Ashdown Forest, explained how the world-famous location ‘has long struggled with funding’.

The forest is now ‘rare’ in not charging for parking and they had looked at similar areas to benchmark their proposed rates.

He described how many consultation respondents had ‘wholly understood’ the ‘urgent’ need for funding, adding: “It’s not the only solution to the forest’s problems, but it’s a key part of it.”

Charges would be introduced across the forest’s more than 40 car parks.

Officers made it clear the decision to introduce charges was solely for the conservators and all the county council could do was approve or refuse the level of prices proposed.

Johanna Howell (Con, Crowborough North and Jarvis Brook) was ‘fully supportive’ of the charges.

She said: “It’s not always popular but I would support everything the chief executive has said.”

Roy Galley (Con, Maresfield and Buxted) praised the work of Mr Adler following what he described as ‘three to four years of drift’.

Georgia Taylor (Green, Forest Row and Groombridge) said she understood the pressures and challenges facing Ashdown Forest.

She added: “Wouldn’t it be great if car use was reduced across the forest and there were more facilities for people to cycle to the car parks and park their bikes there and cycle safely on the roads in the forest which you currently can’t do.”

She also asked a question about concessions.

Mr Adler said the detail of this was still being worked up but the intention was to offer them to people in receipt of Universal Credit or a State Pension.