Locals in King Charles’ town pay UK’s most expensive parking due to tourists

Tetbury is only two miles from the King’s house

Residents living near King Charles’ Highgrove residence are paying one of Britain’s priciest car park permits, yet they struggle to find a spot due to the influx of tourists.

Locals in Tetbury, close to HRH’s country abode, shell out over £600 annually for parking – a figure that eclipses the fees in some of London’s most affluent boroughs.

This is in stark contrast to the £257 charged for vehicles in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the £321 fee in Westminster.

Tetbury dwellers often can’t park outside their homes and are shelling out £640 for a season ticket at West Street car park, which is only half reserved for residents, leading to parking difficulties.

One resident voiced their concerns today, saying, “Obviously we’re happy to have King Charles over at Highgrove – but there’s so many tourists and it seems to leave Tetbury as the car park.”, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Another local, Steve Tayler, 72, succinctly remarked: “It’s a problem.

“They’re about £600 a year, a hell of a lot, and there’s no allocated spots for residents so it’s just a free for all.”’ John Evans, 87, said: ” lamented John Evans, 87, who also recounted the frustration of seeing a coach full of tourists from Germany taking up space in West Street.

“And because there’s a real need for large vehicles to have places to park, I’ve seen coaches in the car park here. It happens all the time. It’s crazy!” he added.

Kenneth Ford, 68, weighed in on the issue, stating: “Personally I think it’s a lot of money to be paying – £600 a year!”.

He highlighted the inconvenience faced by residents: “If you go somewhere with your car you have nothing to say that you had that space.

“So every time you go somewhere and come back you might not have a space, so you could be paying £600 a year for nothing.

“At the end of the day, like in all these towns, it’s set up more for people coming into the town rather than the residents.”

Annie Bowen, 78, remarked: “We reluctantly bought a permit. There’s no CCTV camera, there’s nothing to protect you there.

“Last Friday, we were parked in the car park and my husband went to go up the town to fetch his bike from a repair shop and when he passed our car there was a red mini impaled on it.

“A woman had left it without the handbrake on and it had rolled and done £3,500 worth of damage. So, what are we paying for? We’re not designated a space. It’s not safe, and it’s ridiculously expensive.”

Dee Buss, 78, commented: “It has really been bad.

“I have no choice but to buy a permit because parking on the street is nigh on impossible.”

This is my eighth year with the parking permit and the price has just gone up and up and up.

“We have a situation where because we have so many Airbnb’s and second homes, people literally park where they see a space without thinking.

“In the house opposite, there’s an elderly disabled lady who had a hospital appointment on Saturday but couldn’t get her car out because another had been parked over her entry.

“Obviously we’re happy to have King Charles over at Highgrove, but there’s so many tourists and it seems to leave Tetbury as the car park.”

Another resident remarked: “Since Covid, people don’t have to stay in London, they can come here and work from home. The whole thing has changed.

“Covid really changed things so there are people living here who commute from London perhaps once a week.

“Of course they don’t go in their cars, so their cars are parked here, so it is a cumulative problem really.”

Nonetheless, the council does offer free parking at the Old Railyard car park in town.

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, portfolio holder for parking at Cotswold District Council, commented: “With officers from the council, I have spent time in Tetbury talking to residents, local businesses and other stakeholders so have a good understanding of the issues they are facing.

“In recognition of the needs of season ticket holders, half of the standard parking bays in the West Street Car Park on Old Brewery Lane are allocated to them.

“While we understand that holding a season ticket does not guarantee a parking space and that these tickets are not exclusively for residents, opportunities to expand off-street parking in the town are unfortunately limited.

“In addition, we also provide the old rail yard carpark in Tetbury which is free of charge. We remain committed to ongoing dialogue with local residents and businesses.”

Buckingham Palace was approached for a statement.