Nepal UK
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UK – Birmingham City Council has officially launched a formal public consultation on its plans to introduce parking charges at three of the city’s most treasured green spaces: Sutton Park, Sheldon Country Park, and Lickey Hills Country Park. The consultation, which opened on Friday, August 1, 2025, will run for four weeks and is a direct result of the council’s pressing need to achieve significant financial savings.
The move to charge for parking, while acknowledged by the council as “controversial and unpopular,” is part of a broader strategy to meet a mandated budget for the 2025/26 financial year. The council, which has faced unprecedented financial challenges, states that the charges are necessary to bring Birmingham in line with other UK cities and to create a sustainable funding model for its 660 parks and green spaces.
Any surplus income generated from the fees will be reinvested directly into the parks. The council has specified that these funds will support essential infrastructure maintenance, such as filling potholes and repairing fences, and will also finance new projects aimed at improving biodiversity and implementing renewable energy solutions.
The current proposals are a revision of an earlier, more expensive plan that met with widespread opposition. A survey conducted in late 2024 revealed that a majority of residents were against the initial proposals, with opposition at 78.4% for Lickey Hills, 65.9% for Sheldon Country Park, and 68.2% for Sutton Park. In response to this feedback, the council has significantly lowered the proposed fees and introduced more flexible options.
The new pricing structure for Sutton Park and Lickey Hills Country Park will be:
£1.00 per hour for up to four hours.
£5.00 for an all-day pass.
For Sheldon Country Park, the fees have been set at a lower rate:
£0.75 per hour for up to three hours.
£3.50 for a full day.
All three parks will operate these charges from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, 365 days a year.
In a move to make the charges more palatable, the council has also proposed a 30-minute grace period for free parking and will offer a multi-park annual season ticket for £52. Additionally, special permits will be offered at a reduced rate for businesses and for free for volunteers. The council also notes that blue badge holders will be able to park for free.
Acknowledging the possibility of "displacement parking," where visitors park on residential streets to avoid the fees, the council plans to introduce new parking restrictions in areas identified as hotspots. They are currently running a separate consultation to gather residents' feedback on this issue.
Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, said the charges are a difficult but necessary step. "We have some wonderful parks... but we need to be able to maintain them for the benefit of everyone," he stated.
Despite the expected income from these charges, a council report confirms that the revenue will still not cover the full cost of maintaining the parks, and that ongoing financial support from the general fund will still be necessary. The council is encouraging all residents and visitors to share their views before the consultation period for all three parks officially closes on Friday, August 29, 2025.
Source: BBC reporting and local media outlets)
