Parking scheme worth £500,000 a year
Eastbourne News
THE PROPOSED pay-to-park idea in Eastbourne will bring in almost £500,000 a year to council coffers once it is up and running.
A financial forecast shows the scheme will cost around £3 million pounds a year to run, but will bring in around £3.5 million each year from pay and display charges, permits and tickets being issued to those who flout the parking regulations.
Council chiefs say the figures — unveiled in a report by officials at East Sussex County Council last year — are based on the current proposed parking charges for Eastbourne currently out to public consultation.
But they insist a true financial appraisal is impossible to predict until a final parking scheme is put forward.
The report estimates over a year the scheme will bring in:n £2.32 million from pay and display meter parkingn £621,000 in penalty charge notice tickets £189,000 from residents' permits £354,000 from other permits (including business and visitor permits)
Council officials say for the first two years of the parking scheme's life it will be repaying back £600,000 of initial set-up costs. Included in those costs is a payment of £95,000 to Alpha Park Ltd, the firm advising East Sussex and Eastbourne Borough councils on the scheme, and dealing with the deluge of responses from the public consultation.
The public exhibitions, publicity and consultation period is predicted to cost £75,000 and notices and procurement will cost another £50,000. The bulk of the set-up cost is £350,000 for signs, minor works and yellow lines to be installed across the town.
But a county council spokesperson said it was impossible to talk real figures.
The spokesperson said, "Until a decision on the size of the parking scheme is taken after the end of the public consultation period, projections of income and expenditure can only be based on a number of assumptions.
"It all depends on the extent of the scheme, the number of people taking up permits, the level of turnover, the cost of charges, the days and hours of charging, the level of enforcement and the level of violation.
"This financial appraisal is based on the area and charges currently being consulted on. However, we must stress that introducing a parking scheme in Eastbourne is not a stealth tax.
"We believe that the introduction of a parking scheme will bring real benefits to businesses and to residents. The proposals are about managing parking so that residents can park near their homes and shoppers can park closer to where they want to be.
"Hotel guests will also find it easier to park close to their hotel or guest house during their stay. Businesses should also benefit because there will be a better turnover of spaces.
"Parking schemes have to be self-financing — any surplus from parking, once the set-up costs of the scheme have been recovered, will be ploughed back into local transport schemes and improvements for Eastbourne.
"It is estimated the scheme would show a small operational deficit of £50,000 at the end of the first year (2007/08) but in a full year of stable operation is estimated to show an annual return of just under £500,000.
"On this basis, the scheme would move into cumulative operational surplus during 2008-2009 and would move into overall surplus having repaid the set-up costs during 2009/2010."
THE PROPOSED pay-to-park idea in Eastbourne will bring in almost £500,000 a year to council coffers once it is up and running.
A financial forecast shows the scheme will cost around £3 million pounds a year to run, but will bring in around £3.5 million each year from pay and display charges, permits and tickets being issued to those who flout the parking regulations.
Council chiefs say the figures — unveiled in a report by officials at East Sussex County Council last year — are based on the current proposed parking charges for Eastbourne currently out to public consultation.
But they insist a true financial appraisal is impossible to predict until a final parking scheme is put forward.
The report estimates over a year the scheme will bring in:n £2.32 million from pay and display meter parkingn £621,000 in penalty charge notice tickets £189,000 from residents' permits £354,000 from other permits (including business and visitor permits)
Council officials say for the first two years of the parking scheme's life it will be repaying back £600,000 of initial set-up costs. Included in those costs is a payment of £95,000 to Alpha Park Ltd, the firm advising East Sussex and Eastbourne Borough councils on the scheme, and dealing with the deluge of responses from the public consultation.
The public exhibitions, publicity and consultation period is predicted to cost £75,000 and notices and procurement will cost another £50,000. The bulk of the set-up cost is £350,000 for signs, minor works and yellow lines to be installed across the town.
But a county council spokesperson said it was impossible to talk real figures.
The spokesperson said, "Until a decision on the size of the parking scheme is taken after the end of the public consultation period, projections of income and expenditure can only be based on a number of assumptions.
"It all depends on the extent of the scheme, the number of people taking up permits, the level of turnover, the cost of charges, the days and hours of charging, the level of enforcement and the level of violation.
"This financial appraisal is based on the area and charges currently being consulted on. However, we must stress that introducing a parking scheme in Eastbourne is not a stealth tax.
"We believe that the introduction of a parking scheme will bring real benefits to businesses and to residents. The proposals are about managing parking so that residents can park near their homes and shoppers can park closer to where they want to be.
"Hotel guests will also find it easier to park close to their hotel or guest house during their stay. Businesses should also benefit because there will be a better turnover of spaces.
"Parking schemes have to be self-financing — any surplus from parking, once the set-up costs of the scheme have been recovered, will be ploughed back into local transport schemes and improvements for Eastbourne.
"It is estimated the scheme would show a small operational deficit of £50,000 at the end of the first year (2007/08) but in a full year of stable operation is estimated to show an annual return of just under £500,000.
"On this basis, the scheme would move into cumulative operational surplus during 2008-2009 and would move into overall surplus having repaid the set-up costs during 2009/2010."
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