EVENING parking charges in Southampton are set to return next week, it has been announced. 

Southampton City Council says it will bring back the charges after they were scrapped under the former Conservative administration during the pandemic. 

The council says the charges, which will return on Tuesday, will help it manage demand and promote the use of alternative travel.

They were first removed last year to encourage shoppers and visitors back into the city after lockdowns caused a downturn in the area's economy. 

READ MORE: Southampton City Council set to bring back parking charges to raise £2m

Transport boss at the council, Cllr Eamonn Keogh, said: "This isn’t a decision this administration has taken lightly, and we are aware it will frustrate a number of local residents who will now have to pay to park in the City Centre in the evenings.

"We have, however, identified a need to encourage a regular turnover of vehicles to enable, for example, night shift workers to easily find parking when they need it.

"The City Centre population has grown from 8,000 in the early 2000’s to a projected 28,000 by 2024 and as our planning regulations limit the number of available parking spaces we need to be mindful of not encouraging unsustainable car ownership in nearby developments.

"We will undertake to assess the impact of the change after 4 months." 

READ MORE: Southampton City Council brings back evening parking charges

The new set of off-street tariffs, which will apply to all city-centre car parks, will include an additional option to pay £1 for up to one hour and will be capped at £2. 

The council says evening parking charges have not been set at a higher rate than the previous evening tariff and in some off-street facilities, they will be cheaper.

The authority added that people can benefit from cheaper bus travel in and around the city through the standard £1 evening bus fare for individual riders.

Cllr Keogh said: "Any surplus revenue generated from car parking charges is invested back into the roads and highways network as we look to resurface roads that are poor quality and continue our substantial highways programme which includes pothole repair and road resurfacing.

"In addition, our investment in infrastructure over the past few years enables more people to travel by bus and to feel safer if they are walking or cycling, which we know is important to many of our residents and workers commuting into the city." 

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