PARKING charges in Christchurch are set to be frozen for the next year, but the use of more than 700 long stay spaces in town centre could be scrapped.

Shoppers using Saxon Square, Bank Close, Wick Lane and the By-Pass car parks will be limited to four hours from April, if the new schedule gets the green light from Christchurch Borough Council’s resources committee.

Approval of the proposals would see a loss of more than half of the long stay shopping spaces across the town centre - 752 of the current 1,319 - which allow up to 12 hours day parking.

The move follows discussions by a council working party which hopes the change will encourage people to make greater use of the town's underused car parks.

Any changes come as the loss of two town centre car parks looms. Both the Pit Site and Bargates car parks are earmarked for development, after contracts were exchanged with Aster Group for a major housing scheme on the site.

Members of the resources committee will meet on Wednesday to discuss the proposals..

A virtual voucher system has been proposed to allow Travelodge to issue parking vouchers to patrons. Hotel users would be able to park in excess of four hours in the lower floor of Saxon Square.

Following a successful implementation, the 50p winter parking charge in Steamer Point, Avon Run Road and Highcliffe Castle car parks is set to continue.

In the only rearrangement of parking spaces in the proposals, it is recommended that the coach bays in Mayors Mead car park be removed and replaced with additional coach bays at Highcliffe Cliff Top car park.

Despite several councillors putting forward a suggestion of adding coach bays at Willow Way car park, the officer's report still recommends moving the bays to Highcliffe.

After looking into adding coach bays at Willow Way, the report says extending three existing long wheelbase bays for coaches would cost around £5,000.

Three normal bays would also be lost to create space for coaches to reverse. This would result in an estimated revenue loss of £1,500 per year.

Plans to carry out extensive reconfiguration works at several car parks in Christchurch are due to be discussed by full council in the near future.