East Sussex parking prices to increase for first time in a decade to try and improve air quality

Driving a car in East Sussex will soon be more expensive as the county council agrees to put parking and permit prices up for the first time in more than a decade.

The authority hope the price changes encourage people to ditch the car or use off-street car parks to reduce town centre traffic and improve the environment.

It means the cost of using any one of the 3,500 on-street pay and display machines in Lewes, Eastbourne and Hastings will increase by between 20p to £1.90 per hour.

• How much will parking cost me?

People who require a parking permit in Eastbourne will now pay up to £95 compared to £25 at the moment. It’s to bring the town in line with charges in Lewes.

Drivers of less harmful vehicles will receive a discount.

Parking all day in Eastbourne in the summer will increase from £4 to £7.80.

In Lewes a 10-hour ticket will double from £6 to £12 and the cost of parking for four hours in Hastings Old Town will go up from £6.00 to £11.80

There is concern from some that the changes will have an impact on the local economy but East Sussex County Council dismiss this and suggest it could ‘bolster’ the economy.

East Sussex County Council has committed to going carbon neutral by 2020.

• Cllr Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council, Con

Meanwhile Brighton and Hove City Council will decide on Tuesday whether to put up some of its parking prices, with one tariff expected to increase by 66.7%.

The authority, which received just under £27 million from parking fees, charges and penalties last year also say it’s to try and improve the environment.

A yearly resident permit would go up from £130 to £150 - the first increase since 2016.

Traders’ permit will go up from £700 to £800 for a year and from £200 to £250 a quarter.

Business permits would cost £50 more for a year of £15 extra every quarter.

Doctors would have to pay £100 extra for a permit but they’d be able to park in more spaces.

Pay and display tariffs on the seafront will go up by 16.7%.

Parking at Rottingdean Marine Cliffs car park would increase between 10% and 66.7%. Charges for the car park at Black Rock would increase by 10% and the King Alfred leisure centre will see rates rise of up to a quarter.

Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Anne Pissaridou said: “We are facing a climate emergency and reducing carbon emissions is a key component of tackling this growing threat.

“The council is working hard to look at measures which will reduce those emissions, cut congestion on our roads, improve air quality and support the city’s transition to a carbon neutral economy. Changes to city fees and charges are just one of those measures.”

If voted through the new fees would be introduced in September.