Town's parking machines to accept coins

Visitors using Newmans Gardens can already pay by cash but in a fortnight (August 14) so will users of car parks at Fletchers Croft and the High Street.

Horsham District Council has made the changes following user feedback, allowing ‘greater flexibility of payment methods for car park users’.

The controversial charges were introduced in April as the council looked to cover the car parks’ annual £315,000 running costs.

Gordon Lindsay (Con, Billingshurst and Shipley), cabinet member for the local economy, said: “Our aim is to make parking in our rural towns as easy as possible for visitors and residents.

“The introduction of the new coin payment method in addition to card payment gives increased flexibility for users, tailoring our service to their needs.”

Additional signage and instructions will be placed in car parks to assist users. The payment machines will accept coins only.

Visitors opting for pay and display are charged 75p for the first hour and £1.50 for the maximum stay, which varies at different locations.

Long-stay season tickets are available at some car parks, while regular users can also purchase an annual parking disk for £12. Subsequent discs are £6 with a maximum of four per household.

For more information visit www.horsham.gov.uk/parking/annual-parking-disc