The Conservators have announced that payment for parking on Ashdown Forest will begin on Monday 21st November 2022 after they were granted planning permission to put signs in the car parks and install two parking machines at the Forest Centre in Wych Cross.
Chief Executive James Adler said:
Introducing parking charges was a difficult decision. We hope that people will understand that without this income we cannot protect this unique landscape now or for the future. We want our visitors to enjoy everything the Forest has to offer and, by making their parking payment, they will make a really valuable contribution to maintaining this beautiful place.
James Adler, Chief Executive
Parking Fees
The charges will apply to car parks across the Forest. Visitors will be able to pay by mobile phone, by card at the machines at the Forest Centre, via Apps, by cash at the Forest Centre during office hours or purchase a longer pass online.
Horizon Parking have been appointed to manage the scheme. The Conservators have said details about applying for annual and winter passes, access for lower income groups and more detail on how to make a payment will be available ahead of the introduction of payments on the Ashdown Forest website. For further information see their Frequently Asked Questions document.
See the previous articles about the introduction of parking charges on the Ashdown Forest.
So if you don’t have a smart phone you are excluded?
We wamt to pay an annual fee. It says we can buy on line. How?
And no, we don’t have a smart phone.
They haven’t thought it through have they! Many of the car parks are in ‘not spots’ so don’t have phone or wifi coverage even for those with smart phones. Otherwise, it’s approximately a 20 mile round trip to from from the car parks near Crowborough to get a ticket at the only machines, by which time the parking time on the ticket would have ticked away and the added cost of petrol to get a ticket on top of the parking charges, not to mention wasted time, will put off most people. It’s hard to see how this can work.
Can these anonymous bureaucrats be voted out? If not, why should they have the right to tax us?
I suspect an increasing number of drivers will park on the verge of any convenient road. So long as the driver/vehicle is not causing an obstruction or creating a danger, there is no legal remedy against this. Trying to prevent such parking by painting double yellow lines on every road across the Forest would be a non-starter – it would require a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and, apart from the absence of public support, Sussex Police have made it clear to the Conservators, WDC and ESCC that they would be unable to enforce such an Order.
Incidentally, anyone wishing to continue to park on the Forest in peace during summer, free from the hassle and/or unpleasantness of dealing repeatedly with Horizon Parking, must purchase an Annual Permit. Don’t be fooled into thinking that £50 for a winter permit and £80 for an annual permit means a summer permit should be available for £30 – a summer permit does not exist: it is not available at all.
Finally, Horizon Parking have one of the very worst ratings on Trustpilot of any commercial organisation anywhere in Britain. A truly staggering 93% of all 645 reviews gave Horizon Parking the lowest possible score of 1 star (it’s not possible to give zero or negative stars). The reviews themselves are what might politely be called ‘incendiary’ – you can find them at
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/horizonparking.co.uk
I’m not sure that WDC or the Conservators have read any of the Trustpilot reviews, or fully taken on board the level of unhappiness and public anger that their parking scheme may engender.
I HAVE PAID £80 POUNDS TO PARK AT BLACK HILL CAR PARK, AS YOU DRIVE INTO THE ENTRANCE OF THE CAR PARK THERE IS TWO REALLY BIG POT HOLES THAT IS NO GOOD FOR MY TYRES OR CAR (you cannot drive around them) I HAVE E MAILED ASHDOWN FOREST CENTRE THEY SAY THAT I HAVE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ESCC WHO ARE NOT IN THE LEAST BIT INTERESTED, AND ALSO ASHDOWN FOREST DO NOT CARE THEY HAVE MY MONEY. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE MY DISABLED DOG CAN BE WALKED OFF LEAD AS SHE KNOWS HER WAY. THANK YOU ASHDOWN FOREST FOR PUTTING UP TWO FINGERS AND SAYING THEY DO NOT GIVE A HOOT,THAT IS HOW AN OAP IS TREATED BY THEM.
no one mentions the 15min grace