West Norfolk Council said it intends to give residents an hour's free parking at Heacham's two beaches after many complained they had stopped visiting the beauty spots because of the cost.

One trader even said the resulting lack of footfall had forced him to close his café over the winter.

A council spokesman said: "We are working through the logistics and timescales with the parking machine developers and will update as soon as practically possible."

Terry Parish, West Norfolk councillor for Heacham (Image: West Norfolk council)

Heacham councillor Terry Parish said: "The concession, very welcome as it is, still leaves charges far too high at the beaches of Heacham where there are few facilities and certainly no gardens, range of shops or entertainments, as in Hunstanton, to justify the fee.

"And the winter period is now charged the same as the summer whereas, a year ago and for years before, November to February had no charges. This benefited locals and the odd stalwart visitor alike.  

"Paying £5.10 to park for two hours at a windswept beach with nothing open at all is scandalous, while raising the cost of an annual resident's pass from £58.10 to £121.69 is corporate greed."

Some 800 people signed a petition calling for the council to rescind its decision to increase the cost of a resident's parking permit and end free parking at Heacham North and South beaches over the winter months.

Nicky Bailey who has been campaigning against parking charges in Heacham (Image: Matthew Usher)

Nicky Bailey, who launched the online campaign, said: "Your house prices are much more for having the beach and being by the sea, so it feels like we've paid for it already.

"It's a long walk for the elderly or the disabled. I haven't been down there for a year and I used to go down every day.

"I think all beach car parks should be free, but everywhere should have an hour at least."

TRADE HALTS FOR CAFE AFTER WINTER CHARGES BROUGHT IN

James Moore at the Heacham Halt Café, who said parking charges had put people off visiting the beach, forcing him to him to close down over the winter (Image: Chris Bishop)

James Moore, who runs the Heacham Halt Café, said his trade had ground to a halt after winter parking charges kicked in.

"For the first time in 25 years I've been shut through the winter," he said. "People weren't coming down and parking.

"A lot of people came down because there used to be free parking through the winter but when they looked and saw they had to pay to park, they just drove straight out again."

Asked whether any of his customers had complained, he replied: "All of them."

Pay and display signs on the South Beach at Heacham (Image: Chris Bishop)

Linda Dix was sitting outside enjoying a cuppa in the sunshine with her niece Angela Giles.

"It costs me nearly £100 to have parking all year round," she said.

"If you want to come down to the beach in the winter now you have to pay."

Mrs Giles said: "It's too expensive, it's not like they spend a lot on it.

"You don't see more than five or six cars at a time here, there used to be a lot in the winter but not now."

Empty spaces in the car park at Heacham North Beach despite the sunshine (Image: Chris Bishop)

As if to prove the point, just three cars and a van were sitting in the village's North Beach car park a mile or so along the shoreline.

One man who said he was visiting the village said: "It's £10 for 24 hours, I don't think that's too unreasonable."

But a couple who pulled into the car park in a blue hatchback appeared to disagree. They stopped briefly by the board near the entrance displaying parking charges, looked at the prices and drove straight out again.

CHARGES SET TO RISE AGAIN

The board showing the current charges at Heacham North Beach (Image: Chris Bishop)

West Norfolk Council is putting up charges across its 29 car parks again from April 1.

Most of its sites in King's Lynn will increase to £2.60 from £2.50 for an hour, £4 from £3.80 for two, £4.90 from £4.70 for three and £6.50 from £6.20 for up to five.

At Heacham charges will increase to £2.80 from £2.70 and hour, £5.30 from £5.10 for two, £7.60 from £7.30 for three and £10 from £9.60 for 24 hours and £11.20 from £10.80 during the summer.

It comes after a report to councillors said it raked in £6.7m from its car parks last year - almost £1m more than the £5.8m it raised from drivers in 2024.

Its biggest earner was the Tuesday Market Place in King's Lynn, which brought in just over £1m from 297,000 "stays".

Next came Lynn's multi-storey car park, which brought in £793,000 from 202,000 stays, the Vancouver Quarter (£479,000/130,000) and the Cliff Top at Hunstanton (£417,000/71,000).

© Eastern Daily Press