Council to consider improvements to West Northants country parks

Future improvements and revised parking charges at Daventry and Brixworth country parks and Northampton Racecourse will be considered at the cabinet meeting of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) on Tuesday, 17 January.

The current methods of paying for parking in Brixworth and Daventry country parks are inconvenient for users, do not offer a choice of periods, and are vulnerable to abuse and non-payment. The machines are also aging and prone to failure.

While the Racecourse car park tends to be used by people who then walk to the town centre, meaning it is not fully available for its intended purpose.

At the cabinet meeting, councillors will consider proposals to provide new ANPR based parking payment systems (using automatic number plate recognition) and new tariffs at the country parks and the Racecourse.

Overall, it is anticipated that the arrangements will generate an additional £176k pa in revenue, with an installation cost of £144k.

"Daventry and Brixworth Country parks and The Racecourse provide beautiful spaces for our residents and visitors to enjoy.

"The existing car parking equipment is not fit for purpose and it is essential we bring this up to date for our users.

"Increasing fees enables us to invest in our car parks, and ensure that they’re accessed by people using these facilities. We have worked hard to consider all options and keep the costs to a minimum as much as possible."Cllr Phil Larratt, Cabinet Member for environment, transport, highways and waste at WNC.

The Council also plans to introduce a special season ticket for Park Run participants.

"The Council recognises the value of Park Run as a way people of all ages and backgrounds can get into running, making themselves healthier and making friends at the same time.

"So even in these challenging financial times we wanted to support the Park Runs at Brixworth, Daventry, and Northampton Racecourse."Cllr Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for housing, culture and leisure at WNC.

Existing country park parking charges:

• Daventry, all day £2.20
• Brixworth, up to four hours £3.50
• Brixworth, up to eight hours £5.50
• Brixworth, up to twelve hours £7.50
• Brixworth only season ticket £38.00
• Dual park season ticket £70.00
• Racecourse: no charges

Proposed for country parks parking charges:

• Up to two hours £3.00
• Up to four hours £4.00
• Up to six hours £6.00
• Up to eight hours £8.00
• All day £12.00
• Single park season ticket £70.00
• Dual park season ticket& £100.00
• Park Run season ticket (8:30-10:30 Saturday mornings) £5.00

Racecourse proposed charges:

• Monday to Friday (Max stay 3 hours)
• Up to 1 Hour - £1.10
• Up to 2 Hours - £2.20
• Up to 3 Hours - £3.30
• Evening Overnight - £2.20
• Saturday - £2.00
• Sunday £2.00

If Councillors agree to implement the improvements to the car park and increased car parking costs, the new fees will be introduced by April 2023 and it is anticipated that the ANPR system will be introduced by summer 2023. 

To find out more and view the cabinet report browse the online agenda for next week's Cabinet Meeting.