PARKING charges could be introduced on the Downs under plans to raise money in Bristol City Council’s annual budget.
The new pay-and-display meters are expected to bring in £200,000 a year after their introduction from April 2027, while another proposal to charge drivers across the city a standard fixed hourly parking rate instead of the current mishmash of fees, especially for evening and overnight stays, is forecast to generate £500,000 annually.
Both plans have gone out to public consultation in the council’s draft financial plans for 2026/27 – and they have been previously controversial when discussed by Bristol city councillors.
Last December, members on the transport and connectivity committee warned the proposed new parking charges on Clifton and Durdham Downs could “inflame tensions” between residents and van dwellers, so the idea was sent to a cross-party taskforce looking into a wider parking and kerbside strategy to assess the pros and cons.
Concerns were also raised about displacing parking onto neighbouring streets which would remain free to park.
Then in March 2025, the committee narrowly voted in favour of fixed “linear” hourly fees in Bristol city centre and some council-owned car parks but members were split 5-3.
The decision, which now forms part of the council’s budget, will increase charges from 6pm to 10pm to £6.80 from the current £4.50 flat fee, but this was less than the initial proposed hike of £2.70 an hour, totalling £10.80 from 6pm to 10pm, following a pushback at the meeting.
Residents can give their views on these and the authority’s other cuts and money-raising ideas at the consultation which is open for six weeks here: https://shorturl.at/tLLkK
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service