PEOPLE visiting Dartmoor face having to pay for parking following reports that a voluntary donation scheme has been ineffective.

Dartmoor National Park Authority has proposed parking charges at five popular locations, including Postbridge, as a way of generating income to pay for future maintenance.

A report from Dartmoor National Park Authority’s head of recreation, access and estates stated that because of reductions in national park grants in recent years, the authority had become less reliant on central government funding — hence a review of car parking charges was undertaken.

‘Significant investment is required to maintain car parks over the next few years’, a meeting of the authority was told in a report.

The report concluded that the principle means to significantly increase income from car parks was to introduce charges, rather than rely on voluntary donations.

The report stated: ‘The authority is facing increased challenges to effectively fund the maintenance of the car parks it has responsibility for; it is apparent that the public now expect to and are willing to pay for parking.

‘The introduction of parking charges at Princetown has generated a significant increase in income which can support the maintenance of the infrastructure and helps us promote our key messages.

‘Informal discussion with members were held in April 2016, at the park management working panel in June 2016 and again in January 2017 following more detailed work. The clear view and direction of travel received was that the authority’s approach should be to implement formal charges where possible.

‘Formal car parking charging was introduced at our car park in Princetown in 2013 via a Service Level Agreement with West Devon Borough Council. The income received has increased by 360% as donations averaged £5,000 per annum, whereas charging produces a gross income of approximately £23,000 per annum. The experience at Princetown has shown that visitors expect to pay and are willing to pay for car parking and that modest charges used to improve local facilities and services is considered to be acceptable.’

At the Postbridge car park, it is proposed to install ticket machines and associated signage. This will form part of a wider set of programmed improvements to the Postbridge and Forestry Commission car parks due to be implemented through the Postbridge and Bellever Trails project, as part of the Moor Than Meets The Eye scheme. Improvements to both the Forestry Commission car park and Postbridge car park are planned, including white line markings being added to the surface to aid visitor parking.

If agreed, charges for the car park would be £1 for up to three hours and £2 for over three hours. Parking for blue badge disc holders would be free.

These charges would be implemented every day between 10 am and 6pm — enabling regular visitors, including local dog walkers, to park at the beginning and end of the day for free.

The proposal is to undergo public consultation before a decision is made and if approved by the authority, the parking charges at Postbridge car park can be expected from October 2017.