PLANS to introduce Saturday parking charges to a town centre car park have been dropped.

Bath and North East Somerset Council had proposed ending free Saturday parking at Keynsham’s Bath Hill East Car Park but has now scrapped the proposals.

The council said it decided to withdraw the plans “after feedback from residents and businesses highlighted concerns about impact on local footfall and affordability.”

The charges had been proposed alongside several other changes to parking charges across the district, such as more expensive residents parking permits for bigger vehicles and higher Park & Ride charges for people parking but not riding.

They were the only proposal to be dropped after an initial consultation, despite generating the lowest level of opposition.

29 percent of consultation respondents opposed the plan, just 16 percent said they supported it, while 54 percent said they had no opinion.

According to a council report which used generative AI to analyse responses to the consultation, people were concerned it could lead to reduced footfall for Keynsham Farmer’s Market and town centre businesses, discourage people from using the park, and lead to people going to Longwell Green or Cribbs Causeway instead.

The council is now launching a new consultation on its other proposed changes to parking charges including making resident’s parking permits more expensive for larger vehicles and discounted for smaller vehicles. Under the plans, a Smart car owner would get a £20 discount on their permit each year while someone with the largest model of Ford Transit would have to pay £112 more.

The council said: “Studies suggest that larger and taller vehicles like SUVs and vans are more likely to cause increased injuries or fatalities in a collision with a pedestrian, especially children, or cyclists due to factors which include bonnet height and increased blind spots.”

The consultation runs until 5pm on June 18.