THE cost of parking for a quick two-hour shopping trip in Salisbury could soar to £3.90.

An increase of £1.40, or 56 per cent, from the current £2.50 is one of the proposals in a countywide parking strategy being put out for consultation by Wiltshire Council.

The cost of using a long-stay car park in the city all day, which currently ranges from £4.20 to £6.20, could go up to £8.60.

But in Trowbridge and Chippenham the comparable costs would be £1.60 – less than half as much - and £6.50.

One justification put forward is the need to encourage people to use Salisbury’s loss-making park and ride system.

Yet the council’s consultation website speaks of “the need for parking charges and standards to be broadly consistent across the whole of the county”.

There would be no more free parking, as there is at present in smaller towns and villages.

People in Amesbury would pay £1.20 for two hours, although the town council would be given the option of buying some spaces for free use.

In towns such as Mere or Tisbury the charge would be £1. But if enough residents wanted it, their parish councils could take over the car parks and keep them free, subsidised by higher council tax. Councillors from Mere and Tisbury have argued that charges could kill off local independent shops.

The aim of the whole strategy is to cover operational and maintenance costs, and to provide money to support sustainable transport measures.

As the Journal reported in January, Wiltshire will divide the county into four charging bands, with Salisbury in a class of its own at the top.

It invites comments on three possible charging structures involving various levels of price increase. The figures quoted above are from the most expensive ‘Radical’ option.

The report points out that some neighbouring councils are also bringing in price rises of up to 30 per cent in this financial year.

Use of short-stay car parks would be limited to three hours under all three options, to “improve the turnover of parking spaces” and bring in more money.

Sunday charges in Salisbury would be 50p for an hour and £2 for longer.

The consultation runs until September 3. The results will be fed back to the area boards for comment and the council’s Cabinet will make final decisions in December, to take effect next April.

You can take part in the consultation online, at http://consult.wiltshire.gov.uk/portal, or on paper. Forms are available in libraries.