Second ‘park pass’ will cost less at popular Gosford and Loughgall attractions

The charge for an annual pass at either venue is £27. The concession rate is £17.20. A ‘Gold Pass’ allowing access to both Gosford and Loughgall parks is £35.20, the concession rate being £23.

The recommendation was to approve a reduced rate for a second vehicle. Families will now be charged an additional £13 for a second car at either venue, or £40 in total for the two annual passes.

The concession rate for a second car is going to be £8.80. The rate for a second ‘Gold Pass’ is going to be £16.80, the concession rate being £11.

Acting head of Health & Recreation, Martin Towe told councillors at Monday’s (April 15) Leisure & Community Services Committee meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council: “As part of the 2022 estimates-setting process, efficiencies were identified for car-parking passes at Gosford Park and Loughgall Country Park. The efficiency was introduced in May 2023.

"Passes in the past allowed all cars from a household to use the park. The change was that the pass would be linked to the registration number of the car. It essentially meant that if a family had two cars, then they had to buy two passes.

“The change was introduced and the efficiency was realised, but there was some feedback from customers indicating that they were unhappy with the situation.

Same Household

“So officers went away and looked at it again. We considered an option for introducing a ‘bolt-on’ for a second car for each household, that would allow that if a full car-parking pass was purchased, there would be the opportunity to buy a second bolt-on for the same household, in the region of around half the price of the full pass.

“Which essentially means that for each household there is the potential to have two cars for the price of one and a half. That is in the process of being rolled out. We hope to introduce it on May 1.”

Alderman Gareth Wilson (DUP, Cusher DEA) said: “I’ve been approached by a number of families on the issue whenever they realised that the second pass was going to cost them the same as the first pass, so it was doubling up.

“I know from my own household the two passes are very important, and it was very useful as well because you weren’t tied to one vehicle as such.

“So, from that perspective, I think it’s a good sort of ‘halfway house’ where we’re understanding the costs associated with running Gosford, and we’re also understanding the cost impact on households as well.

“So, from that perspective, I’m pleased to see that bolt-on option, and it filters right down through the concession rates and also into the twin paths for Gosford and Loughgall. So that’s useful and I would be happy to propose it on that basis.

“I’m in the park every week myself and there’s times the hut is manned, and there’s times it’s not. I know there is the barrier project that’s ongoing. How are we going with that in terms of ensuring that we’re catching as much footfall as possible?

Family Pass

“If you buy a family pass or two-car pass and you use it, you’ve paid your fee and you’re visiting, but I know there’s opportunities there for people to get in there, maybe forgetting to pay at the kiosk if there’s nobody at the hut.”

The senior council officer replied: “The barrier system has been explored through the project in the park. We can give a more exact update in terms of the timescale at a later date, but we need to consult with the capital team on that.”

Councillor Keith Ratcliffe (TUV, Cusher DEA) commented: “I think it’s so important to emphasise how good a facility Gosford is. It really is a jewel in the crown, especially in the Markethill area.

“I think there’s a few important numbers that as a committee we need to know about. How much revenue does Gosford bring in yearly, and how much would the bolt-on actually cost ABC to introduce?

“I know there are efficiencies and costs going on, but my fear is [that we might] disproportionately penalise families, because they’re going to be the people that’s going to be using the second pass.

“There’ll be a lot of people visiting that maybe don’t need two cars, but I think it’s our locals that are really going to be needing this facility with two cars.”

Martin Towe told the TUV representative: “As far as the the passes themselves and the impact in terms of income, we would see them as having the ability to increase the income and encouraging more families, particularly from the local area, to use the facility.

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“And so therefore we would see the impact as being net positive, but certainly we can come back to members with more detailed information.”

Alderman Ian Burns (UUP, Banbridge DEA) asked: “Your pass is linked to the registration of your car. So if you have to buy two passes, and you change your car throughout the year, does that mean you get hit again?”

Mr Towe replied: “If the car changes during the year, there is the ability then to update the pass, so it’s linked to the new registration.”

The recommendation to approve a reduced rate for a second annual ‘park pass’ linked to a second vehicle was proposed by Alderman Gareth Wilson and seconded by Cllr Peter Haire (DUP, Lurgan DEA).

François Vincent, Local Democracy Reporter