Parking in Station Road and Shore Road to pop to the shops or visit the seafront in Swanage, now costs more after Dorset Council brought in a price increase.
New parking fees for on-street parking in Swanage, as well as Wareham, Dorchester, Blandford, and Weymouth came into effect from Friday 25th February 2022.
On-street parking charges have now increased in Station Road in Swanage
Station Road
In Station Road, one of the main shopping streets in the centre of town, charges will be from 8 am to 6 pm and drivers are no longer able to park for 15 minutes for 20p but will have to pay a minimum of £1 for 30 minutes all year round.
Station Road new daytime charges 8 am to 6 pm
- 30 minutes: £1.00
- 1 hour: £1.50
- Overnight 6 pm-8 am: free
Parking along Shore Road is right next to the beach in Swanage
Shore Road
Along Shore Road that runs parallel to Swanage’s Main Beach, there used to be lower prices from November through to the end of March but now that’s been replaced with an all year round price.
In the low season it used to cost £1.20 for up to 10 hours of parking and over the high season it cost £8, but with a price increase and the scrapping of the seasonal variation it now costs £12 for up to 10 hours parking at all times of the year.
The minimum charge is now £2.50 for up to an hour.
Shore Road new daytime charges 8 am to 6 pm
- 1 hour: £2.50
- 2 hours: £3.50
- 3 hours: £4.50
- 4 hours: £6.00
- 10 hours: £12.00
- Overnight 6 pm to 8 am: £4
“Generate a higher turnover of cars”
Dorset Council says one of its aims of increasing the cost of on-street parking spaces is to encourage more drivers to use nearby car parks, where parking charges are lower. A spokesperson for Dorset Council said:
“This will generate a higher turnover of cars – helping keep on-street spaces for Blue Badge holders and giving all residents better access to local businesses when popping into town for a quick visit.”
In Swanage, Dorset Council’s policy of encouraging drivers into car parks may be to the financial benefit of the town, as it’s likely to boost the numbers of vehicles parking in the Swanage Town Council owned car parks.
North Street in Wareham is a popular place to shop or nip to the Post Office
Wareham
In Wareham, the on-street parking charge has also gone up with the charging period from 8 am until 6 pm.
Wareham daytime charges 8 am to 6 pm
- 1 hour: £1.50
- 2 hours: £2.00
- 3 hours: £3.00
- 4 hours: £4.00
- Overnight 6 pm to 8 am: free
West Street car park in Corfe Castle will see parking charges go up in early April 2022 along with all other Dorset Council owned car parks
Dorset Council car park charges go up from April 2022
While the expense of parking on the road may encourage drivers to head towards the car parks, the price of the Dorset Council owned car parks is going up too from early April 2022.
This is across all of the Dorset Council area, including its car parks at Corfe Castle, Norden and Wareham.
