Revised Improvement Works - Haddon Hill Car Park - August 2023

Thank you to everyone who took the time to contact us about our proposals for Haddon Hill car park. It’s clear the site is highly valued by local people and visitors from further afield.

We must emphasise this was not an easy decision to propose parking charges. However, with our financial pressures and the government funding situation as it is, we must act to continue providing the range of services we offer. This includes maintenance of footpaths and bridleways, providing facilities such as car parks and toilets, and carrying out conservation and education work across the National Park. The alternative is to begin closing facilities and cutting back further on services which we know are valued by local people, visitors and businesses. This would impact on people’s ability to enjoy the National Park, including those on low incomes.  We are looking at many cost-saving measures and new income opportunities across all our activities but if we are to continue our work to care for Exmoor and help people enjoy it responsibly, we must rely less on core government funding.

We will continue to introduce a car park charging scheme for Haddon Hill, but we have listened to your comments over a considerable consultation period and will be delivering some changes to our original proposals.

We monitor compliance with car park payments through regular visits from our staff who are often on site for other reasons, so this will not create significant additional cost for us. We find that most people are happy to contribute to a service they enjoy. We expect to raise a worthwhile sum from the charging system and any initial outlay for the parking machine and signage should be covered within a year.

The other proposed changes are in keeping with the existing character of the car park and are not high cost. These repairs and improvements are things the Authority wants to carry out to ensure the car park provides a high-quality experience and are not directly related to the charging proposal.

We recognise concerns that the new scheme may encourage some people to park in less suitable locations but by providing a range of affordable options to pay, along with convenient free periods we hope this will be minimal.

The works and changes will be implemented over the coming months, as capacity allows.

You can view our original proposals for Haddon Hill car park here.