Public asked for views on charges
Birmingham City Council has launched formal consultations on proposals to introduce parking charges at three of the city’s most popular green spaces – Sutton Park, Lickey Hills Country Park, and Sheldon Country Park.
The consultations, which opened (1 August) and will run until 29 August, follow informal engagement held late last year. Feedback from that earlier process has shaped amended proposals now put forward for public comment.
Under the plans, charging would be introduced to bring Birmingham into line with similar destination parks across the UK, with revenue used to offset maintenance costs. The measure was agreed in principle as part of the council’s 2025/26 budget to help protect and sustain the city’s 660 parks and green spaces.
Protecting parks for the future
Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, said parking fees would support the upkeep of much-loved public spaces.
“We have some wonderful parks and green spaces across the city, but we need to be able to maintain them for the benefit of everyone,” he said. “Introducing parking charges at these three major sites will help protect and maintain all our green spaces.”
Residents are being invited to give their views on how much drivers should pay and at what times charges should apply. The council is also considering measures to address possible “displacement parking” in nearby residential areas, including new traffic restrictions where needed.
Opposition gathering pace
The proposals have already sparked strong opposition from park users, local campaign groups, and some councillors, who argue that charging could deter visitors, penalise families during the cost-of-living crisis, and shift parking pressures onto surrounding streets.
In a joint statement shared on Erdington News, councillors Robert Alden and Gareth Moore said: “Sutton Park is well used and was left for the benefit of all residents, not for the council to make it harder or more expensive for families from Erdington to be able to visit. This is likely to be the thin end of the wedge. The council already introduced parking charges at Cannon Hill Park claiming it was a one-off. Now they are doing it at three more parks – no doubt after this, if successful, they will seek to introduce charges into Pype Hayes Park and others.”
Several petitions have been launched urging the council to scrap the plans entirely.
The three separate consultations for Sutton Park, Lickey Hills Country Park and Sheldon Country Park close on 29 August.
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