A series of thefts from a beauty spot’s car park donation box has forced its owners to install a new parking meter.
Last year the donation box at Salhouse Broad car park, which is on the River Bure between Wroxham and Horning, was broken into four times.
And due to the cost of replacing the donation box, as well as general maintenance, the team at Salhouse Broad said they were left with no choice but to introduce a parking meter, which came into force on Friday, May 22.
Their costs include a £12,000 bill to cut back leaning trees in order to make the car park safe for drivers.
Kelly Banthorpe, manager at Salhouse Broad, said: “It was very sad the donation box was broken into. I don’t know how much money was stolen but each incident was reported to the police.
“The parking meter seemed like a logical thing to do. Our site is expensive to run and we also have a stretch of boardwalks to repair which we currently don’t have the money for.”
Ms Banthorpe said they had looked into other ways of fundraising, including both Halloween and Easter events, but a lack of response meant the events either did not take place or raise enough money.
She added: “We have a Friends of Salhouse Broad group and we would love more people to get involved. But the money from the parking meter will be used to keep the site safe and we’ve kept the cost low, so hopefully people won’t have objections. Salhouse Broad still remains free to access.”
A one-hour stay at the car park costs £1 and an all day ticket costs £3, while details for an annual pass will be released in due course.
Ms Banthorpe said: “I’d like to think people will think it’s worth spending £1 to come and enjoy it while putting money back into the Broads while they do so.”
It is also hoped the new parking fees will encourage people to walk, cycle or car share to the Broads to cut back on carbon emissions and protect the environment.
Ms Banthorpe added: “Hopefully it will also relieve pressure as the car park does get very busy over bank holidays and often cars spill out onto the road.”
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