Proposed changes to Hereford City on-street Pay & Display announced

Herefordshire Council is proposing changes to Hereford City on-street Pay & Display, following feedback on the recently implemented scheme. The changes will allow visitors to stay longer and encourage use of nearby businesses.   

The changes proposed include:

• To extend the maximum stay to 2 hours across the whole charging zone, with an extended tariff structure (up to 30 mins - 50p, up to 1 hour - £1 and up to 2 hours - £3);
• To extend Pay & Display parking to include St Ethelbert Street and selected parking places in Castle Street, with a standardised operating period of 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, with a continued exemption for permit holders;

Councillor Barry Durkin, Herefordshire Council's Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services, said: "Our proposed changes to on-street Pay & Display in Hereford City centre show that we have, and will continue to, listen to feedback from local business and shoppers. The proposals meet the council's transportation aims to reduce traffic congestion caused by short car journeys and to encourage extended visits within the city centre. But we also want to ensure that any changes to on-street parking continue to support the economic vitality of Hereford and its city centre, and protect parking provision for residential permit holders."

Mike Truelove, Operations & Marketing Manager at Hereford BID, said: "The Hereford Business Improvement District welcomes the council's willingness to listen and respond to the concerns of businesses, many of whom are struggling in the testing economic climate we are in. It is therefore critical that the right parking structure is created, that not only meets environmental objectives, but is also viable to our traders and appealing to shoppers – many of whom are being fought for by other towns and cities, not to mention the competition that comes from online shopping. We urge all businesses to actively feed into this consultation and have their say."

The legal process requires public notices to be published setting out the proposed changes. The notices will explain how members of the public can submit representations for, or against, the proposals. Subject to considering any representations received, it is anticipated that the changes would be introduced in June this year.

The temporary voucher scheme for free parking, introduced in partnership with the Hereford Business Improvement District (BID) team, will remain in place until June.