FREE parking could be extended in Alresford after the town council backed a new plan.

New Alresford Town Council confirmed it would ask the city council to allow one-hour free parking at the station car park at a meeting last Thursday.

The issue was raised by resident Ralph Pointer who questioned why Alresford station did not have any period of free parking while fellow market town Bishop’s Waltham did.

Mr Pointer said: “People are always looking for parking in Broad Street and they cannot find any. If the station was given just half an hour free parking that might encourage people to go up there and use it.”

Town council chairman Steve Middleton said the station car park was leased by the city council from the railway company and the town council had no control.

Council finance chairman Roy Gentry added: “There are legal agreements in place between the railway and the city council and between Perins and the city council as regards the sharing of revenue from those car parks.

“I think we probably be able to persuade them to give us free parking if it was just the city council but I do not think they are going to be able to budge the owners of the land.”

The town council parking committee also proposed to bring free parking periods in West Street and Station Road in line with Broad Street by increasing them from one hour to two hours.

Councillors approved a resolution to take these matters to the city council.

Cllr Natalie Carpenter said: “When I was on the parking working party this was the consensus and opinion of everybody I spoke to in the town with a couple of exceptions. But the overwhelming majority felt it was a good idea.”

For more local Alresford stories see this week's Hampshire Chronicle, out tomorrow Thursday April 19.