PLANS to end free parking in Midsomer Norton and Radstock have been ‘watered down’ after a public outcry and plans to charge motorbikes and scooters to park have been scrapped altogether.

Last December, Bath and North East Somerset Council announced plans to extend emissions-based parking charges, similar to those in Bath, to free car parks in Midsomer Norton and Radstock and to introduce parking fees for motorbikes.

However, locals in Midsomer Norton warned that the charges would “kill the town,” and independent councillor Shaun Hughes for Midsomer Norton North described them as “a tax on the poor.”

Now the council has said that the charges will come into force in January 2025 but that changes have been made following public feedback. Charges for Midsomer Norton and Radstock’s currently free car parks will be lower than what had been proposed, and people will be able to park for free for two hours.

Plans to charge motorbikes for parking have also been dropped. Members of the Motorcycle Action Group had ridden to the district to warn the council that the charges would be “disproportionate” and would see them pay more to park than some more polluting cars. But the council plans on looking again at charging motorbikes through a separate consultation in future.

Manda Rigby, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “We’ve had great feedback from our consultation, and I’d like to thank all those that took the time to share their views with us. We’ve listened and made changes to what was originally put forward and will now introduce two hours free parking in Midsomer Norton and Radstock car parks with a reduced tariff for longer stays.

“Parking at Midsomer Norton’s South Road car park and the Church Street and Waterloo Road car parks in Radstock will cost 10p less than parking in Keynsham. Three hours parking will cost between £1.20 and £1.80, depending on how polluting your vehicle is. 

“You don’t need to know your vehicle’s emissions to park. Pay and display machines automatically retrieve emissions data from the DVLA and apply charges based on carbon output. If emissions information isn’t available, the charge is determined by engine size instead.

“Despite the changes to the plan, Mr Hughes said the council were still “not listening.” He said: “The public have made it clear. Over 4,000 responses that they don’t want the parking changes, it will damage the town and they have just ignored it.”

Some 4,322 people responded to the council’s consultation on the parking charges, as well as two signed petitions. 80% of respondents said they were opposed to rolling out emissions-based parking charges to all council paid for parking.

The highest levels of opposition were for parking charges to be rollout out to the free car parks in Midsomer Norton and Radstock, where 82% and 80% respectively of respondents were opposed to charges being introduced. Just 7% supported it in the two car parks.

Three quarters of respondents expressed concerns about air quality and its impact on health, while 58% felt it important to tackle and improve air quality.