New Parking Strategy introduced to support town centres, accessibility and climate goals

New strategy sets clear direction for safer, more accessible and more sustainable parking across the borough, supporting residents, businesses and visitors while helping to drive town centre vitality and climate action.

Ashford Borough Council has adopted a new Parking Strategy for 2026–2030, setting out a high-level framework for how parking will be managed across the borough over the next four years.

The strategy establishes the council’s vision, guiding principles and priorities for parking, with a focus on keeping car parks clean, safe, accessible and well maintained; supporting active travel and public transport integration; helping reduce transport-related emissions; and ensuring parking continues to support town centre regeneration, business growth and community wellbeing.

The strategy was approved following public consultation earlier this year. Feedback from residents, businesses and stakeholders helped inform the final version, including stronger recognition of the different parking needs and characteristics of Ashford and Tenterden.

Importantly, the strategy does not introduce specific operational changes, site-based proposals or charging decisions at this stage. Instead, it provides a clear policy framework to guide future decision-making, with any individual projects, changes to provision, tariffs, enforcement or permit arrangements to be developed separately and subject to the appropriate consultation, appraisal and governance processes.

Key priorities within the strategy include maintaining and improving accessible parking, supporting the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, exploring smarter technology and digital tools to improve the customer experience, and ensuring parking provision remains responsive to the needs of local residents, businesses, commuters and visitors.

The council will now use the strategy to guide the development and prioritisation of future parking-related projects and policies across the borough. Any future proposals will continue to come forward separately, with further engagement and statutory consultation where required.

Councillor Steve Campkin, Portfolio Holder for Climate, Environment and Sustainability at Ashford Borough Council, said: “This strategy provides a clear and robust framework to guide how we manage parking across the borough over the coming years. 

“Importantly, the strategy has been shaped through public consultation, ensuring that the views of residents, businesses and stakeholders have been carefully considered and incorporated into the final document.”