PARKING charges are almost certain to be introduced at Gobowen railway station – because that’s what residents want, it has been claimed.

Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said there was a lot of support for charges to prevent people from outside the area using it as a handy car park.

He told St Martins Parish Council the public consultation for the major shake-up of car parking across the county had been taking up a lot of his time.

And he told members: “I keep reiterating that we are in a period of consultation so nothing has been decided – although to be honest, I do think there will be some kind of charging at Gobowen station.

“People are asking for it. They say people from outside the area are parking there all day because it’s free, and using up spaces that should be used for people using the trains.”

He said it was a popular meeting place for friends who each had a car – one is left at the station while the other is used to drive to town centres, saving on parking charges.

“I think charges will be introduced which will help prevent that, even if it just a nominal fee,” Mr Davenport added.

He also said there was a possibility for the station car park to be the subject of an asset transfer to Gobowen Parish Council, which would then be responsible for it on a day-to-day basis.

“It’s something to look at when the consultation ends,” he said.

n The consultation ends this week, with the unitary authority looking to remove the 15-minute ‘pop and shop’ period for cars parked without tickets, along with introduction of linear pricing.

Mr Davenport added: “In simple terms we want to offer an improved parking service that is hassle free, and that makes use of the latest technology.

“We want a service that offers value for money and that is consistent across the county. And we want to make it easy for our customers to understand how much it costs to park – in our car parks and on-street – and the easiest way to pay.”

Final proposals will be debated by Shropshire Council’s cabinet later this year.