By Community Correspondent Lucy F. J. Pope There is a possibility that Bushy Park may be subject to a new parking scheme resulting at around half the charge rate of Richmond Park; this would mean 50p for an hour, £1.00 for two and £2.00 for over three hours. These costs follow The Royal Parks publishing their consultation document on new regulations in concerning parking and traffic.

A public consultation taken by The Royal Parks reveals that there is an 84% opposition to the introduction of the charges, with a smaller percentage of 59% opposing a maximum stay time. Following this, a large protest march occurred in Bushy Park, and a 6,000 signature petition was presented to The Royal Parks. Vincent Cable (MP for Twickenham) said that “The Royal Parks have not presented a convincing reason why charges are necessary in Bushy Park”, and that residents feel that their tradition of relaxing in the park will be interrupted by the constant watch of park wardens and the worry of parking fines; especially elderly members of the community and families with younger children. Richmond council also opposes the plans and Richmond’s transport chief has labelled them substandard after reading the reports. Cable believes it to be unlikely that The Royal Parks will carry out the parking scheme after the “overwhelming public hostility” and opposition towards the scheme that has been demonstrated.