Higher charges for car parking and residential parking permits have been announced by Barnet Council and will apply as from the start of the New Year. 

Future increases will be far greater if the council goes ahead with a wide-ranging policy review designed to drive down car use across the borough.

The higher charges which will take effect on Thursday 2 January apply to car parks and on-street parking (via pay machine/phone or app tariffs); to residential and commercial permits; and to vouchers in controlled parking zones.

In some cases, the increases are quite steep.

Increases in the annual cost of a residential permit ranges from 81p to £9.97, depending on a vehicle’s emissions, and a visitor voucher in a CPZ goes up from £1.55 to £3.00.

Advertisements announcing the new charges have coincided with the end of a consultation period for the introduction of a far-reaching revised transport plan aimed at reducing car journeys.

Barnet Council’s long-term objective is to introduce a standard charge of £3.50 for an hour’s parking and to withdraw all free parking – including the one hour of free parking in the Moxon Street car park in High Barnet.

Higher charges are intended to improve air quality and to promote greater use of public transport and more active travel by walking or cycling.

Under the proposed formula the minimum price of an hour’s parking would be the cost of two standard bus fares.

Both the Barnet Society and the Barnet Residents Association have set out their opposition to the new scale of parking charges, warning that the new charging system will have a disastrous impact on the future viability of shops and retail businesses in High Barnet town centre.

The two organisations were united in urging the council to rethink the proposed withdrawal of the free parking concession in Moxon Street – opposition which is supported by the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson.

He has launched a petition urging the council to keep the first hour free in Moxon Street and maintain at least one hour of free parking in the Brunswick Road and Church Hill road car parks:  https://dantomlinson.org.uk/parking-petition

Mr Tomlinson also calls for the retention of free parking on Sundays where it is currently in operation.

His support has been welcomed by the residents’ association, but it hopes Mr Tomlinson will go much further in recognising the need to protect High Barnet from the council’s “badly thought through” one-size fits all approach to town centre parking.

For example, under the council’s standardised approach an hour’s parking in the Stapylton Road car park would jump from £1.56 (£1.63 as from January 2) to £3.50, increasing to £5.25 for two hours, £7 for four hours, and £8.75 for all day.

This was described as a “huge fee” to pay for the privilege of shopping in Barnet High Street.

High Barnet has always had the disadvantage of being unable to offer free parking when there are other shopping destinations within easy reach and especially as they all offer free parking at supermarkets and retail centres such as those at New Barnet, Whetstone, Stirling Corner, Boreham Wood, Potters Bar and London Colney.

In its submission to the council, the Barnet Society struck a note of despair. Such was the competition offered by neighbouring retail centres and supermarkets – and the attraction of their free parking – members feared that High Barnet town centre was dying.

Already there were too many empty shops and charity shops in the High Street and The Spires shopping centre, and the introduction of higher parking charges and the loss of free parking would only lead to even less footfall.

Many organisations were trying to keep the town centre alive and thriving and doing their best to encourage people to shop locally.

“This is hampered by the high business rates demanded by the council and the lack of affordable parking.

“Feedback from our members indicates a feeling of despair that these proposed parking increases will render these efforts futile.”

Barnet Council agreed in 2013 to a free hour of parking in Moxon Street car park and to free parking on Hadley Green from 2.30pm to enable parents to pick up children from schools in Monken Hadley without blocking local roads.

These measures had proved successful, and footfall increased for a time, but the cost-of-living crisis and online shopping have both had a detrimental effect on the town centre.