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Sudbury Town Council calls for clarity on permits and exemptions around incoming tariffs for Babergh-owned car parks




Calls for clarity have been made over parking permits in Sudbury, as more details are revealed on planned changes to fees from next year.

Sudbury Town Council has requested more information from Babergh’s leadership, after raising further concerns about incoming parking tariffs.

Earlier this year, Babergh’s cabinet agreed to stop offering three hours of free parking at council-owned car parks in Sudbury, Hadleigh and Lavenham, starting in 2025, as it seeks to address its financial deficit.

New charges are due to take effect in 2025
New charges are due to take effect in 2025

Instead, there will be a £1 charge for one hour in a short-stay car park – or for two hours in long-stay – with an extra 50p for each additional hour, up to or beyond four hours.

At a Sudbury Town Council meeting last week, more details were shared around the permits available for residents.

It was heard that, for the short-stay car parks in North Street and Girling Street, season tickets would allow parking between 5pm and 9am, Monday to Saturday, for £9.50 for one month, or £95 for 12 months.

Councillors welcomed the permits being extended to short-stay car parks, having raised the issue at a recent ‘Working Together’ meeting with their Babergh counterparts.

However, they urged the district council to include Saturday afternoons in the permits, for fears that side streets would be congested if residents park there to avoid being charged at the weekend.

Sudbury councillor Nigel Bennett told the meeting: “They have clearly listened – there was no plan to have residents permits’ in short-stay. That argument has been won.

“But there is still a problem on Saturdays. Residents will be paying for a permit, but it will only be valid from 5pm.

“If they use the car park, they will pick up an additional charge every Saturday afternoon. If they don’t, it will cause problems in the side streets.”

For long-stay car parks in Great Eastern Road, which serves Roy’s supermarket, and in Station Road, which serves the Kingfisher Leisure Centre, a similar £95-a-year permit for 5pm to 9am parking is proposed.

It was also heard that residents would have the option of paying £250 a year, to be able to stay in these car parks at all hours.

However, councillors reiterated that clarity was needed on reimbursements for Roy’s customers, and waivers for those attending medical appointments.