Increased parking charges set to take effect on the streets of Cambridge in April have been met with anger by local businesses.

The rates on city centre parking will increase by up to 33 per cent, with hourly charges rising from 60p to 80p, and the £1.50 charge reaching £2. Streets where the current hourly charge is £1.20 will be unaffected by the changes.

The higher charges will apply on roads closest to the city centre, such as King Street, Jesus Lane and St. Andrew’s Street.

Cambridge’s Environment and Traffic Management Area Joint Committee approved the new charges on Monday.

The decision was attacked by a number of small business owners in the centre of Cambridge, who are concerned that the rising costs will damage their businesses.

Penny Thompson, owner of the popular Fitzbillies bakery and restaurant, told Varsity that the changes were “awful”. She described the new prices as “enormous”, explaining, “It’s going to make a huge difference to us. We’ve lost our College parking place at Peterhouse to some big corporation, so now our employees have to park on the streets.”

Jeremy Waller, who owns the Primavera arts shop on King’s Parade, agreed with Thompson.  Speaking on behalf of ‘Love Cambridge’, an organisation which represents small city retailers, Waller said that there was “no justification” for the new charges.

However, Richard Preston of Cambridgeshire Highways denied that the move would have an impact on businesses. “I’d be fairly shocked if traders actually supported the increase in parking charges,” he told Varsity. “If we saw a significant downturn in the number of people parking on the streets, then they might actually have an argument, but there’s little evidence to suggest that parking charges are having a significant impact on the number of people coming to the city.”

Preston also emphasised the importance of communication between the Cambridge County Council and retailers, saying that the Council is “working to create a better dialogue with traders so they can understand why we’re increasing the charges.”

Graham Lowe, a traffic officer for Cambridgeshire County Council, pointed out that parking charges had not been raised since 2003 and will only increase revenue by 16.5 per cent. He claimed that this figure reflects the inflationary rise of 19.3 per cent since 2003.

Prices at car-parks will also be affected, with charges at the Grafton Centre, Park Street and the Grand Arcade increasing by 6 per cent from April 1.