The cost of town centre parking could be raised by Bracknell Forest Council, despite warnings that it could put people off shopping at The Lexicon.

Charges at The Avenue, High Street, Braccan Walk and Weather Way car parks could all increase from October, under proposals to be debated by councillors next week.

But owners of The Lexicon shopping centre warn the rise would add to shoppers’ 'spiralling day-to-day living costs'.

Under proposals being recommended to councillors, prices at the four council-run car parks could rise to £2 for an hour, £3.50 for two hours, and £4.40 for three hours. This is up from £1.80, £3.20 and £4.10.

The maximum charge – for a stay of over eight hours – would be £11.40, up from £10.50. Meanwhile, charges for students at Bracknell and Wokingham College using the town centre car parks could also increase in proportion. Currently, the students pay £2 a day, regardless of duration.

The full list of recommended increases is in the table below.

Bracknell News:

Owners of The Lexicon have warned the council that the increases could stop people from outside the borough from travelling to Bracknell to shop.

Although most of the proposed new charges would still be cheaper than in nearby shopping centres, it would be more expensive to park for an hour in Bracknell than for an hour at The Oracle in Reading.

Lexicon bosses told the council: “The increase in tariffs for car parking in the town centre will undoubtedly add to the challenge of maintaining The Lexicon as the destination of choice for Bracknell Forest residents.

“The changes proposed to car parking charges will further add to residents’ concerns regarding the spiralling day-to-day living costs and may consequentially reduce overall parking visits to the town centre.

“As everyone will be aware the success of Bracknell Town Centre in recent years has been partly built on the fantastic accessibility for attracting car-borne shoppers into the town.”

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But council officers say the cost of maintaining the car parks means that it would lose money if it doesn’t raise prices. Recommended increases could raise an additional £376,712 a year – down to £111,000 once costs are taken into account.

An alternative option is to increase all prices by 10p, but officers say this would still leave the council worse off, and it would have to seek savings elsewhere – or raise prices even higher next year.

Councillors on Bracknell Forest’s Town Centre Regeneration Committee are set to debate the increases at a meeting on Monday, September 11.

If they vote for the rises, the council will then have to launch a consultation with residents before making changes.