Parking fee hike will kill Curzon cinema, boss says

Bosses at a cinema in Kent say it will struggle to survive if charges at the country’s most expensive car parks are increased again.

The regional manager of Curzon Westgate in Canterbury said the business had seen a drop in footfall since April, when hourly car parking charges on neighboring Pound Lane rose from £2.50 to £3.70.

But Canterbury City Council now wants to increase this figure to £3.80, while also increasing the number of car parks, which is the most expensive tariff. Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Alex Rickets, the council’s lead member for parking, said: “We don’t live in a world where it’s possible to reduce charges.”

The cinema’s regional manager, Antony Bunger, said: “The proposed increase in car park prices will seriously impact Curzon Canterbury Westgate’s ability to operate.

“Since the last parking restrictions came in, our admissions have fallen by 50 per cent and the cinema’s revenues have also been severely affected.

“If car park prices continue to rise we will have to review the viability of the Westgate cinema. This is something we never thought we would have to do.”

Mr Bunger argued that a flat fee of £2 to use Pound Lane, currently valid between 21:00 and 07:30 GMT, should instead be offered from 18:00.

Clare Millett, managing director of nearby events venue Westgate Hall, said the business faced a potential loss of £40,000 in 2025 as a direct result of the increase.

“You are killing businesses with uniform parking charges,” he told a cabinet meeting.

In April, the city council divided all its facilities into five price ranges, charging the highest rates for the most used ones.

For some car parks in Whitstable this meant an increase of £2.10 per hour.

Mr Rickets said: “The reality is we are in a financial situation where we have to do these things.”

Public consultation on the plans will take place between 14 November and 6 January.