HIGHWAY chiefs have been forced to scrap plans to impose new restrictions at a congested town centre car park in the New Forest.

Proposals to slash the amount of time people can park in the Furlong car park at Ringwood have been ditched after opposition from the town council.

The new limits were proposed by New Forest District Council earlier this year in a bid to ensure that spaces were always available.

Members heard that places were being taken up by commuters who used the busy car park as an unofficial park-and-ride facility.

Officers said the drivers were parking there first thing in the morning and then boarding minibuses supplied by their employers.

These include banking giant JP Morgan, which takes staff to work by bus because it is unable to provide enough parking spaces at its Bournemouth offices.

Officers said the council should prevent people parking in the Furlong for more than nine hours on any one day.

However, moves to reduce the current 20-hour limit have now been rejected by the authority's ruling Cabinet because of the impact it would have on people catching coaches in the town.

Councillors said the restriction would also affect some of the people who worked in Ringwood.

But they agreed to ease the shortage of parking places by banning HGVs from using a nearby lorry park between 8am and 6pm.

The area will also be divided into spaces for cars, to encourage as many motorists as possible to use the facility during the day.

A report to councillors said: "From the representations received it would appear that there's insufficient support to change the waiting restrictions in the long-stay car park.

"However, only limited representations were received concerning the white lining of the lorry park and the restrictions on lorry parking."