Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Big increases are to be introduced.

The Wiltshire Council cabinet agreed to a massive increase in parking charges across the county at its meeting yesterday.

The total take from parking charges will increase from about £5million to £6.5million.

In the interests of 'harmonisation' towns and villages are divided into four bands. Band 1 is Salisbury, which will have the most expensive parking. Band 2 is Trowbridge and Chippenham, then in Band 3 are the market towns. Smaller towns and villages fall into Band 4.

WC has offered band 3 towns the opportunity to 'buy back' their own parking spaces at a cost of £500 per space per year if they wished to offer free parking to shoppers. Similarly Band 4 settlements could lease their car parks from the council by paying all the costs of providing the facility, including rates.

The proposal to introduce Sunday charges across the county has been dropped, with only Salisbury retaining them.

WC is also proposing a more sensible approach to parking on new developments. In the past attempts to discourage people from owning cars by designing-out parking have inevitably been unsuccessful and have led to major difficulties for residents. Classic examples are to be found at Paxcroft Mead and the Waterside development at Staverton.

Residents parking schemes could be introduced where there is a demand for them.

The possibility of introducing a Workplace Parking Levy is also an option the council is keeping open.

In Trowbridge the one-hour fee in a short-stay car park will be £1.10, with the long-stay all day charge going up to £5.90.

None of the Band 3 towns are likely to take up the 'buy-back' option as they see it as a WC con trick.