Concerns raised about knock-on effects of 'excessive' parking charges at £750,000 Northampton bike park

A councillor has warned that “excessive” parking charges at a brand new “state of the art” bike park in Northampton could lead to problems.

Independent councillor Julie Davenport, of the Delapre and Rushmere ward, has questioned the parking fees at the new mountain bike park at the former Hardingstone Nine golf course.

The charges are reportedly first hour for free, then it is £5 for up to two hours, up to three hours for £7.50, or all day for £12.

It is believed the operator, Northamptonshire Sport, and the leaseholder, Delapre Golf Club, split the income from the bike park.

Councillor Davenport believes the fees will see customers start parking on free roads in her ward, which is already suffering with parking issues.

The councillor said: "It's just a concern that it will happen as it gets more and more popular. When word of mouth gets out that people are saying, 'oh, don't worry, don't pay £12 for the day, just go up to this street in Delapre or Far Cotton or Hardingstone'. So that's everyone's concern.

"I've heard Hardingstone residents have complained. I do think it will take time for word of mouth to get out.

"The parking charges, they do seem a lot. £12 for the day. Maybe I'm being tight but it just seems a lot of money. When it's sold as free then you drive there and find out you've got to pay, then you've got like a stealth tax."

Asked for a solution to this potential problem, councillor Davenport said: "Reduce the parking charges otherwise it will encourage people [to park elsewhere]. I just think the charges are quite excessive in this current climate."

Councillor Adam Brown, WNC’s deputy leader and cabinet member for housing, culture and leisure, said the fees help maintain the facility.

The councillor said: “It has been really rewarding to see the bike park in use, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The business case which secured funding for this wonderful, free-to-use addition to Northampton’s health and leisure offering was based on parking charges being used to help maintain the facility.

“Feedback from the cycling community highlighted the sustainability those charges would enable, allowing the site to be enjoyed for many years to come."

The councillor went on to say the charges are “reasonable” and urged bike park users to respect the surrounding communities.

Councillor Brown said: “With an hour of free parking, and only £5 for the next two hours, we believe the parking charges are reasonable, especially since there is no entry fee for the facility itself.

“We would urge anyone who drives to Northampton Bike Park to respect the community which surrounds it, use the designated parking and contribute to the facility’s maintenance so everyone can enjoy it.

“We’ll continue to work with the people of Hardingstone and will look to find solutions to any issues that might arise.”

The site cost around £750,000 to build with £250,000 of that coming from the Places To Ride fund, which had a total pot of £15 million.