Outrage as beach loved by Londoners to start charging ?30 for parking
The council that controls parking charges at one of Londoners’ favourite beaches has sparked fury after deciding to introduce a whopping GBP30 fee for drivers. Motorists visiting Camber Sands beach in East Sussex will be charged the amount after Rother District Council said the change in price was to “get as much back into the council for the massive costs we have at Camber.” Visitors will now have to pay the flat charge to park their vehicle from Saturday after a decision by the authority on Monday (March 27).
Drivers arriving after 3pm will have to pay a rate of GBP15. Camber Sands Western car park, the Mirror reports[1], will still have hourly parking, though the charge is increasing by GBP4 an hour. There is a cost of GBP20 for six hours or more.
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Tourists have been flocking back to Camber Sands for decades (Image: Getty Images)
The change has sparked anger amongst locals and people hoping to visit the area, who have insisted the changes in price mean they will no longer be going and using different beaches instead. On Facebook, one said: “So zero revenue as no one will pay that. Ridiculous fee.” Another added: “We won’t be going again then… plenty of other coastal places charging far less.”
Similarly, one person suggested that other beaches in the area might now be an option instead. They said: “It takes an hour for us to travel to Camber. We eat and drink there and spend money.
We are also happy to pay a reasonable parking fee. This is not reasonable. “There are plenty of other lovely places to visit.
Very sad.” One person suggested fining litterers would be the best way of raising cash. They added: “What broke my heart about my last visit to Camber Sands was the amount of littler left by visitors… it could have been much worst if they’d brought their household waste and emptied it on the beach.
Camber Sands is a popular holiday destination for Brits (Image: Getty Images)
“Now that’s how to raise revenue….catch and find people who leave a mess.” But other members of the public were less worried about the parking fee. “Oh dear.
All these moaners,” one person said. “The tide will continue to go out and come back in and people will still continue in their 1,000s to visit what is a glorious part of the coast.” Camber Sands is a popular UK beach and regularly features on the list of best beaches in the UK. In 2021, the beach was placed sixth on a list by Holidaycottages.co.uk , which compared over 400 beaches across England, Scotland and Wales.
A Rother District Council spokesman told the Mirror: “Summer tariffs operate in Camber car parks from April 1 to September 30 annually. “From this Saturday, April 1, the charges in Camber Central, Old Lydd Road, and Camber Western car parks will be between GBP3-GBP18 depending on the length of stay. “Following approval by cabinet, a flat daily rate will be introduced at Camber Sands Central car park and Old Lydd Road car park during the 2023 summer season.
“Hourly parking will continue to be available at Camber Sands Western car park. Charges will revert to the standard winter tariffs in the autumn. “Camber Sands is a very popular beach, with high numbers of visitors every year from Easter onwards, and income from the Camber Sands car parks is used to maintain and improve facilities in the area.
“There has been a significant increase in the costs associated with managing the car parks and parking charges pay for maintenance and security.
“Car parking revenue also funds the council’s coastal control officers at Camber, beach patrols, public toilets and beach cleaning.”
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References
- ^ the Mirror reports (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ The beautiful London commuter town full of millionaires that’s been named one of the quietest places to live in the UK (www.mylondon.news)