Cash earmarked for town centre car park upgrades built less than 10 years ago
Stafford Borough Council is earmarking £275,000 towards upgrading parking and payment systems at two town centre car parks that opened less than a decade ago.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The authority has been warned that software and hardware systems in place at its Waterfront and Riverside car parks will no longer be supported by the supplier and parts will no longer be manufactured from the end of March 2025.
The current system relies on the use of microchipped coins, also known as chip coins. But a report to the cabinet said these are expensive to replace and often lost by car park users – with around 600 needing to be replaced each year at a cost of around £3,200.
On Thursday, cabinet members agreed to allocate and spend funds to replace the parking system, payment machines, and associated equipment.
An automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) system is set to be brought in, which will mean chip coins are no longer required.
The cabinet report said: “The current system was installed as part of the design and build process by the construction contractor when the car parks were constructed in 2016.
