A Kingston View: Car Park Charges at Newlands Corner and the Commons

Published on: 18 Dec, 2017
Updated on: 20 Dec, 2017

Cllr Keith Witham

By Keith Witham

Conservative county councillor for Worplesdon, writes about the difficult choices for those who have to plan the finances of our local amenities.

When I saw that 75% of respondents to the recent Surrey County Council (SCC) consultation were opposed to the introduction of car parking charges at some of the local commons, I was surprised that it was as low as 75%. After all, if you have been using the car parks free of charge, why would you support the introduction of charges on yourself?

I was equally surprised that as many as 25% either supported the charges or at least understood the reasoning.

When people see a new housing development they understand that it is man-made, it consists of bricks, concrete and tarmac. But when people look at common land or the lovely views from Newlands Corner, they think those are just “natural” but nothing could be further from the truth.

The North Downs Way near Newlands Corner.

It costs some £1 million a year to maintain the Surrey countryside estate. The footpaths, bridges over streams, drainage and stiles are all put in and need maintenance. And the lovely “natural” views would just not exist but for management of the countryside. Without that work, these areas would just be dense woodlands in muddy bogs.

I am a supporter of the Surrey Wildlife Trust, and they do a fantastic job on behalf of Surrey in maintaining the Surrey estate including the commons and at Newlands. But more is always needed, and in three-years time the money available from the county council for these purposes will have reduced from nearly £1 million a year to zero.

Those who oppose parking charges never suggest how these costs will then be paid for – except the usual answers of “Well I pay my council tax don’t I?” and then usually add, “And it’s already too high,” or, “Just take the money from somewhere else.”

But all the “somewhere elses” have already ready had their budgets cut as well. Surrey County Council is having to reduce its spending by over £100 million a year, this year, required legally to balance its income with its expenditure.

I have also seen correspondence extolling the virtues of continued free access to Newlands Corner and the commons on the grounds of health, all of which are laudable. But is anyone seriously suggesting that the NHS is going to pay Surrey County Council £1 million a year so it doesn’t need to introduce car parking charges when every NHS hospital has already introduced parking charges to raise more money for patient care? Of course not, the very idea is ludicrous.

But with the introduction of charges at the commons will come the effect of displacement parking by drivers who do feel they should not or don’t want to pay, but will park on nearby roads instead, including residential roads.

In my area, the two commons car parks affected are at Whitmoor Common and Britten Pond, both off Salt Box Road, Worplesdon. I have never seen any vehicles parked on this road, which has an official speed limit of 60mph by Whitmoor Common. And if cars started to park it would cause traffic chaos on a very busy local route.

Evening on Whitmoor Common.

Worplesdon Parish Council has asked that double yellow lines be considered for Salt Box Road and I have urged those responsible for the anticipated parking charges to introduce parking restrictions on the road at the same time. Only the prospect of a £70 parking fine will deter some drivers.

Of course, walking to the commons instead of driving there might bring health benefits, but not if you try and walk along Salt Box Road to get to Whitmoor Common, which has no pavements or lighting with traffic speeding past at 60mph+.

And one final note regarding Newlands Corner. When I say to people that Newlands Corner is not public land, but is private property they are astounded. Newlands only allows public access because of an access agreement between its owners, Albury Estate, and Surrey County Council. But the costs of maintaining that countryside are the same at our commons, so the need for car parking charges is the same – with, in both instances, the money to be raised going directly to the countryside costs that are incurred and work carried out by Surrey Wildlife Trust.

People might not like these charges but if the money is not raised through car parking charges (and where else can you visit these days without paying to park?), and the money is not available through Surrey County Council, all that will happen is that the commons and Newlands Corner will deteriorate and cease to be the places they are today.

Responses to A Kingston View: Car Park Charges at Newlands Corner and the Commons

Jim Allen Reply

December 19, 2017 at 11:16 am

There is one major problem with moving from free to charged – once a charge is levied it is very simple to increase it. The Riverside Nature Reserve already has the problem of “non-compliant parking” with little thought of the residents. There are two free car parks and 150 metres of free [parking] road space yet still some motorists park on a road junction and block residents assess properties. The effects of charging at Newlands Corner has widespread implications. None appear to have been considered during the calculations.
Liz Critchfield Reply

December 19, 2017 at 1:32 pm

As someone who used to be a frequent visitor to both Newlands Corner and Whitmoor Common in my dog walking days, I can understand the need to spend money on maintenance of car parks and the surrounding area. Given the prevailing financial constraints, I could live with the idea of a modest parking charge coupled with the assurance that the money raised would be used only for those purposes.

Two things bother me:
(a) The charges currently proposed for Newlands Corner (and possibly elsewhere) are high – a two-hour visit for a reasonable dog walk will be £2.60; several visits during a week and you’re looking at £10 plus.
(b) I can’t help thinking that any money so raised would simply disappear into “general funds” and countryside issues would sink to the bottom of the heap – or am I just being an old cynic?
Brian Holt Reply

December 19, 2017 at 6:28 pm

What is the point of more double yellow lines in Salt Box Road, when no one does anything about the parking on double yellow lines in Stoughton? Every afternoon during school term parents parks in Grange Road, around Northmead School, blocking the road even though it is a bus route.

I have never seen a Guildford Borough Council parking officer anywhere in Stoughton. Cars and vans park on double yellow lines on the corner of Worplesdon Road and Bryfield Road junction, buses sometimes cannot enter Bryfield Road through bad parking on double yellow lines.

Unless GBC employs more parking wardens nothing will ever get done about the increase in drivers parking on double yellow lines.
Can the GBC’s parking office tell us how often someone covers Stoughton area because it seems it’s never? Residents are told by councillors to report bad parking in the roads around Stoughton Rec on Sundays to the parking office but what is the point when they never do anything even on weekdays?

A council spokesperson responded: “We visit Stoughton on average twice a week to carry out parking restriction enforcement. We are also conducting a ‘school parking watch’ where we patrol close to schools with known parking problems including those in the Stoughton area. In the first half of this school term we carried out 94 patrols outside schools, issued 88 Penalty Charge Notices and moved on 779 cars.

“The enforcement carried out by our civil enforcement officers acts as a deterrent and people parking in contravention of parking restrictions risk a Penalty Charge Notice.”
Keith Witham Reply

December 19, 2017 at 8:37 pm

To answer the queries from Liz Critchfield whatever the exact charges set, some will think they are reasonable, others will not, others won’t like any charge. But regular users will contribute more to the maintenance than occasional users, which seems fair. On the 2nd point, All charges, minus the costs of implementing and running costs, so the net funds raised, will be specifically ring-fenced for use in maintaining those areas, i.e. Newlands or the countryside estate inc the commons, and not just disappear into “general funds”.

Keith Witham is the Conservative county councillor for Worplesdon
- John Perkins Reply
  
  December 20, 2017 at 12:48 pm
  
  It’s all very well claiming that it seems fair for regular users to contribute more than occasional ones. Of course, it seems fair, although it might not be so easy to persuade people that, for example, frequent users of the NHS should pay more.
  
  However, in the past, the costs were taken from general funds in the form of taxation. Now, despite big increases in tax, funds are to be raised by additional charges which could still be considered taxes.
  
  Where did the money go and was it spent fairly?
Monica Jones Reply

December 20, 2017 at 12:09 pm

It seems we have to pay ever increasing council tax and then pay from our pocket as well for some services.

Something is not right.
- Mary Bedforth Reply
  
  December 20, 2017 at 2:56 pm
  
  And increasing by 6% this year as we were informed by Mr Javid, the ex-banker, yesterday.
George Potter Reply

December 21, 2017 at 7:23 pm

Cllr Keith Witham says: “It costs some £1 million a year to maintain the Surrey countryside estate. The footpaths, bridges over streams, drainage and stiles are all put in and need maintenance.”

Call me old-fashioned, but that’s what I thought we paid council tax for.

Perhaps, before they start trying to offload costs onto residents who already pay council tax, Surrey Conservatives should be looking at reducing the amount of money they’re wasting on dozens of empty buildings across Surrey and on the county council’s vast bills for consultants.

Pleading poverty as an excuse for the parking charges would be much more credible if the county council wasn’t wasting so much money elsewhere.
Chris Hurrey Reply

July 1, 2018 at 12:16 pm

A Tory council: one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Valerie Thompson Reply

July 2, 2018 at 11:24 am

Charge for parking and people will go elsewhere.

Some beautiful parts of the downs have free access.

Who would pay to walk their dogs? Footfall at Newlands Corner will reduce.

As for the 75% response against the charges, many people will not bother to fill in surveys.

Anyway, 75% is still a huge majority opposing these payments.

I wonder if Surrey County Cllr Keith Witham was at the noisy public meeting in Holy Trinity, when the response was probably 98% against and the only person who stood up to approve the scheme was almost certainly a “plant”.
Adam Aaronson Reply

July 5, 2018 at 7:18 am

Parking machines cost money to install, operate and maintain.

Only a proportion of the cost paid by the visitor actually goes towards the maintenance of the countryside. The rest is absorbed in running the parking scheme.

This happens whether the scheme is outsourced to a private contractor (who will obviously intend to make a profit) or whether the scheme is council run for profit or otherwise.

The countryside should be accessible to all and the cost of maintaining it should not be treated as an “extra”, disproportionate, expense to be incurred by individuals.