Enfield Council is holding a public consultation on planned parking charges at the Forty Hall Estate public car park to improve traffic management and enhance environmental sustainability.
The proposed parking rates range from £2 for up to one hour to £10 for over four hours, and will apply from 9am until 8pm each day. Parking will remain free for periods of less than 30 minutes.
Dr Martin Dearne, director of excavations and research for Enfield Archaeological Society, which conducts digs at the historic Elsyng Palace site at Forty Hall, warned the charges could mean the end of a 20-year research programme.
Dr Dearne said: “The excavations and a popular open day, which this year is being held on July 12, rely entirely on often retired volunteers who could not access the site without driving.
“The proposed charges will mean each of them paying £130 during a 13-day annual excavation, for the privilege of investigating their own heritage; which would clearly be impossible for people to afford.”
The council said it hoped to implement the parking charges this autumn, so they would not affect this month’s Elsyng Palace dig.
There had been complaints that joyriders were taking over the car park at night.
The council said income would pay for infrastructure, heritage preservation and enhancing the visitor experience.
But Conservative councillor Edward Smith described the plans as “misguided”. He said users of the estate, including dog walkers and runners, as well as the Friends of Forty Hall group and parents dropping off and collecting children from Forty Hall Primary School, would be “seriously inconvenienced”.
Cllr Smith added: “Public transport is not readily available for people wishing to go to Forty Hall and commuter parking is not an issue. The justification that introducing charges will encourage a greater turnover of cars doesn’t make sense and will lead inevitably to fewer people visiting the park.”
Resident Janet Price is also opposed to it. She said: “Many volunteers do valuable work in the gardens, the vineyard and the market garden as well as supporting events.
“The council has promoted volunteering because of the positive effects on mental and physical health, but many volunteers will be unable to afford the fees.”
In response, a council spokesperson said: “Forty Hall is one of Enfield’s most loved historic places, and we want to protect it for future generations.
“Until now, parking at Forty Hall has been free for all visitors. But maintenance of the site is being impacted by increasing cost pressures and parking spaces are not always used by visitors.
“To help with this, we’re proposing to introduce parking fees. The money from this would go towards looking after and improving Forty Hall and its facilities.”
The spokesperson argued that the free 30-minute parking would give flexibility for quick visits, drop-offs or pickups.
They added: “The car park is also often misused by people loitering in vehicles and causing antisocial behaviour. Introducing charges will help deter this kind of misuse, and part of the income raised will be used to improve car park management.
“This is a proposal and part of a public consultation – no final decisions have been made yet. The council wants to hear from all park users, residents and visitors. Your feedback will help shape what happens next.”
For more information and to take part in the consultation visit https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/fortyhall-carpark. The consultation ends on Sunday, July 20.
