Bournemouth council to introduce new fees from mid-March

Most tariffs will increase by 50p but charges in car parks at the seafront and in Boscombe will remain the same.

Charges in the town centre will start at £2.50 for two hours and £4.50 for four hours. The charges are currently £2 and £4.

The cost of an annual permit will rise by roughly £10 per month with biggest increase in annual town centre permits, due to increase from £750 to £890.

Permits called “town centre outer permits” will go up from £680 to £790.

The increase will make parking in Bournemouth the most expensive in the area.

Two hours in the Dolphin centre in Poole costs £2 with two hours in Christchurch or Wimborne town centres costing just £1.

Bournemouth council has announced that there will be investment to improve the lighting and surfacing at the Avenue Road car park.

The coming months will also see the introduction of payment by card machines, including contactless. There will also be an improved app payment system and virtual parking permits, offering greater convenience and flexibility for holders to manage their permit online including being able to switch between more than one vehicle on each permit.

Councillor Mike Greene said: “Bournemouth’s car parks are changing for the better and delivering an improved new offer for users. We’re getting rid of the ancient and bulky payment machines in favour of modern streamlined smart payment meters in keeping with the town’s contemporary image.

“Together with the improved App payment system, these will be more convenient for motorists while allowing the council’s operations to be more efficient too.”

He added: “We are also pleased to be able to continue to provide residents and visitors with great value car parking. With the current financial challenges for all councils, reluctantly we need to introduce this small increase.

“But even with the additional charge our car parks remain distinctively cheaper than those operated by private providers.”