RSPB defends increase in car parking charges at The Lodge
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has defended increasing car parking charges at The Lodge, the nature reserve in Sandy named after the charity’s headquarters.
Parking fees at The Lodge increased from £6 to £7.50 per vehicle from Monday September 1, a move that attracted a lot of criticism on the site’s Facebook page.
The charges only apply to non-members, with members still able to park for free, as are customers who are quickly visiting the shop.
The charge includes reserve entry for all passengers and the use of all visitor facilities, including the car park, shop, café, toilets, gardens, trails and picnic area.
Comments flooded in since The Lodge announced the changes on its Facebook page, with Graham Hartley saying: "As a member this doesn't really affect me, but this does penalise and deter locals or those just staying for a short period."
"Not worth it for an hours’ walk."
John McKee commented: "I used to visit, have a walk around, coffee, bird seed, bits from shop, but I’m not coming to pay £7.50."
Some comments were more supportive of the changes with Kat De Ath writing: "An individual membership is from £5 a month and a family membership from £6, so you'd only need to visit once a month to balance it out."
In response a spokesperson for the RSPB told the Chronicle: “The Lodge is an amazing nature reserve and we welcome visitors from across the country who want to explore the trails and see the work we are doing to protect the landscape and help rare wildlife.
“We are always conscious of ensuring we provide the best possible experience for people visiting our reserve, and have invested in improving our facilities along with maintaining the nature reserve for wildlife.
“We know there is never a good time to increase the price of anything and we have been able to keep our parking charges the same for almost a decade, however even as a charity we are not immune to rising costs and wider economic pressures, so have increased our daily parking charge by £1.50 for non-RSPB members.
“We believe this continues to offer good value for money and helps us to invest in The Lodge and our vital conservation work.
“We will continue to offer free short stay parking for people who use the shop, along with providing free parking for Blue Badge holders and RSPB members.”