Shoppers in Brentwood may soon be able to park for free in a council bid to save the high street.

Brentwood Council announced parking proposals yesterday (December 13), including free car parking in William Way multi-storey car park and Town Hall car parks.

The plans will be discussed next Wednesday (December 20) at a Finance, Assets, Investments and Recovery Committee meeting, and also include a free three-hour parking limit at car parks in Shenfield.

David Kendall, Brentwood Council's finance chair, said the move aims to support residents and town centre visitors.

"We have listened to residents and the local business community," he said. "Our proposals aim to deliver free Sunday car parking in many of our car parks."

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A freeze on the price of car park season tickets and the cost of parking in the multi-storey car park in Coptfold Road has also been proposed.

All car parks will continue to offer 30 minutes free parking under the plans.

The 24-hour parking charge will also be removed and replaced with a reduced parking fee of £7 for six hours or more.

"All other parking fees are set to increase and have been rounded to the nearest pound or 50p," the council added.

The council also aims to bring in camera technology which means people will pay for their parking on exit, rather than upfront as they currently do.

Payment options will include contactless, app and cash.

Despite some increases, Cllr Kendall took the opportunity to reassure people in Brentwood.

"Whilst there may be increases in some of our car parking charges - we are proposing to keep the 30 minutes free and freeze the charges for the multi-storey car park," he said.

"Any proposed changes to parking fees will not happen before April 2024," he added.

The council said these plans have been made with the aim to support investment in car parks in Brentwood.

This has been done to support staff of town centre businesses and encourage more people to visit the high street on Sundays, the council added.

“We have [...] come up with a package that provides practical support and investment in our car parks and their infrastructure to make sure they are fit for purpose," Cllr Kendall said.