Daventry Town Council objects to plans for new parking charges and left 'disappointed' in how proposals were communicated

The unitary authority posted a draft notice of changes to its off-street car parking regulations last month, listing four short-stay car parks across Daventry and Towcester that will be subject to £5 hourly tariffs, after a free period of three hours.

WNC previously said the proposals were to tackle “persistent” overstaying and that the £5 hourly charge would be less severe than the current approach, which risks an immediate £30 fine.

The Primrose Hill and St. Johns Square car parks in the town centre will be affected by the changes, though they already have a three-hour maximum limit for free parking at certain hours, with users having to vacate the car park after this time.

Under the new proposals, weekend parking would be affected as the three-hour limit has been extended to apply seven days a week from midnight to 6pm, instead of the current Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm times.

Speaking at a special meeting of Daventry Town Council (DTC), Mayor Katie Thurston said she was “disappointed” in the way the proposed charges and consultation were communicated, as they were picked up by town councillors and MPs instead of being actively promoted by WNC.

“Compared to the budget consultation, this has kind of gone through the back door,” she said.

“Townspeople that responded to the previous consultation weren’t happy with the charges being implemented and I don’t think they expected it to come back to this.

“We’re yet to see the evidence-backed data to show there’s a need for this in the town centre car parks because actually, at the majority of times, there’s optimal capacity in both and by putting a [ANPR] barrier across you’re more likely to impact the traffic flow.

“By this going ahead, this is sort of opening the flood gates to what will come next.”

Councillor Bogdan Cirja (Daventry South East) raised concerns that if the changes are approved, it could risk damaging public trust. Residents were told earlier this year that no new charges would be brought in to market towns due to the level of opposition in WNC’s draft budget consultation, which received a record number of responses.

“It will seem like their words had no meaning or were not important,” he added.

Councilloe Ted Nicholl (Daventry South West) also raised concerns that the £5 per hour charge proposed would be higher than the current rates for Northampton parking at weekends, which currently offers two hours free and a flat rate of £2.20 for the entire day.

A council spokesperson encouraged the town council to submit its comments as part of the consultation on the proposals. They added that all responses will be considered before a final decision is reached.

WNC previously said in response to concerns raised about the market town parking changes that persistent issues with overstaying in short‑stay car parks were identified in its draft budget consultation.

“To address this, the council is consulting on enforcing the existing free three‑hour limit in four larger short‑stay car parks – two in each town – using ANPR,” a spokesperson explained.

“To avoid penalising minor overstays, this approach replaces an immediate £30 penalty charge with a £5 per hour overstay charge, while leaving the free parking period unchanged.

“All comments on the draft order will be considered and amendments may be made, including the removal of overnight restrictions, as part of a pragmatic approach to supporting motorists, local businesses, and the vitality of both towns," the spokesperson addded.