Parking Charges Threaten South Hill Park's Future

South Hill Park has introduced parking charges for the first time since it opened in 1973, and a former trustee says it could put people off coming and push cars into nearby streets.

Malcolm Tullett, chairman of Reform UK Bracknell, a former Conservative councillor and a former South Hill Park trustee who lives nearby, warned the scheme was "very short-sighted" and could ultimately undermine the venue's long-term future.

He told The News: "I can't for the life of me understand how it is the right way forward."

"It's going to be the end, or demise, in attendance for the centre and it'll defeat the object as far as we can see," he added.

Looking out of his window, he said: "I'm looking out of the window at the present moment. The car park still has cars in it, but nowhere near as many as it used to have."

Mr Tullett said he feared theatre-goers would avoid the £1 per hour charge by using residential roads or nearby car parks such as Birch Hill Shopping Centre. "All that's going to happen is people will park elsewhere," he said.

He also questioned who made the decision, saying Bracknell Forest Council and Bracknell Town Council, which own the site, should have had a bigger role. "It's the landlord basically allowing the tenant to determine how they proceed. It's very strange," he said. "It should be the landlord making the decisions."

The Reform UK branch has called for more transparency on the financial case, asking how much the charges are expected to raise and whether they will deter people from performances, classes and other events.

The independent trust that runs South Hill Park says the income is needed to help offset rising running costs and cuts in core funding. It says core funding has fallen by £600,000 a year since 2011 while operating costs have risen by around £500,000 annually.

Under the new charges, the first 30 minutes remain free. One hour costs £1, three hours £3, 10 hours £5 and 24-hour parking is £15.

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter