To ensure parking is fairer and always available to visitors of Ventnor Botanic Garden, the Community Interest Company that runs the Garden has employed an external supplier to manage a new number plate recognition system in the car park.
From the beginning of April, visitors to the Garden will be able to enter their number plate on simple touch screens when they enter via the Plantation Room Café or Admissions Window at the front of the Garden. Parking will remain free.
Members will have full access to the car park without the need to enter their registration, although checking their registration with the team is advised on their next visit. Any visitors not entering the Garden, but instead visiting the Plantation Room Café or Puya Shop and spending over £10 will also receive free parking.
Parking for Steephill Cove will remain the same with £5 all-day parking, and a now cheaper rate of £3 during winter months, with a more accessible meter nearer the car park entrance. A 15-minute drop-off period is also being introduced free of charge.
A spokesperson has said:
“This change will be fairer to those genuine visitors and our members, whilst also ensuring that there are suitable parking spaces available during busy periods, as it has become clearer over recent years that the introduction of this new system was needed.
“The price of parking has not changed whilst any additional funds generated will help secure the future of the Garden. This initiative should make parking for visitors and members far easier, drivers using the carpark for other uses will pay for the use. Fines will be issued for misuse as per other carparks using this system.
Staff have trialled the system for the last week with lots of positive feedback from members and visitors and have used that week to iron out any glitches in the customer journey to ensure a smooth start for April”.
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These systems work well for majority but aren’t fail safe and when you get a £80 fine just for driving in to drop off pick up it creates alot of upset. Ok for paying parking but should be Botanic Gardens not these scamming parking companies who pick on vunerable. Wonder how long before machine’s get Vandalised?.
Great! That’s another place I won’t be visiting!
Like many others. They basically took a gun and shot themselves repeatedly in the foot.
I haven’t payed to go in there for years park the car up the road and go in the back door
just more money grabbing. handy free parking for the beach gone.