HAVE YOUR SAY on implementation of parking charges at Lickey Hills

An informal public consultation into the introduction of parking charges at Lickey Hills Country Park opened yesterday (Monday 2nd September).

The plan to introduce parking charges at seven parks across the city was approved by Birmingham City Council cabinet in 2017. Charges have already been introduced at Cannon Hill Park and the council recently consulted on charging at Northfield’s Victoria Common.

Now users of the Lickey Hills Country Park on the edge of the city are being consulted on how the charges should be implemented at the site.

About Lickey Hills

The Lickey Hills Country Park is visited by around half a million people a year and is popular with families, walkers, nature lovers and dog walkers from across Birmingham, north Worcestershire and beyond.

The 524 acre site is currently served by three free car parks – at Warren Lane, Beacon Hill and Rose Hill. All are in need of improvement, with both Beacon Hill and Rose Hill car parks having been identified as having safety concerns and requiring major investment.

Where will the money go?

The council has said that revenue raised from parking charges will be reinvested into the upkeep of and future works on the park, citing the following benefits:

• Visitors to the park will benefit from reinvestment of revenue from car park charging into the park for its ongoing upkeep and future works

• The three car parks serving the park will benefit from significant investment to address safety concerns and ensure they are fit for purpose

• Longstanding traffic management issues can be effectively managed and resolved. e.g. Warren Lane carriageway

• Improve accessibility by addition of formal disabled bays in the car parks

• The presence of enforcement officers can act as a visual deterrent which may deter any anti-social behaviour.

• Ability for the Parks Service to meet savings targets for 2019/20 and onwards. 

Proposed Charges

Parking charges will apply between 8am and 6pm daily.

With the park opening at 7am, parking will be free for that first hour.

Charges will be payable using Pay and Display machines n the car park or by mobile phone using the RingGo service

Following an initial stakeholder consultation, a 50p charge for the first hour has been added to the pricing structure.

Proposed pricing structure:

• Up to 1 hour: 50p
• 1 to 4 hours: £2.20
• All day (4 hours +): £3.30
• Coach parking (Beacon Hill only): £16.50
• Season ticket (annual): £52
• Blue Badge holder: Free

Have Your Say

There are a number of ways you can consider the proposals and submit your views.

• Online: Visit the Birmingham Be Heard website to view the proposals in full and complete the survey.
• Email: Views and queries can also be emailed to lickeyhillsconsultation@birmingham.gov.uk
• In person: The council will also be conducting face to face questionnaires through a clipboard exercise within the park on random days throughout the consultation period.

• At drop in sessions:

  • Thursday 12 September 12-2pm @ Old School Room, Adjacent to Lickey Hills Visitor Centre, Warren Lane, B45 8ER
  • Thursday 19 September 6-8pm @ Lickey Hills Visitor Centre, Warren Lane, B45 8ER

The consultation closes on Sunday 29th September 2019

Cover photo by Lickey Ranger on Flickr

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