A district council has ruled out a major policy U-turn after opting against introducing car parking charges in Attleborough.Attleborough Town Council called for the end of free parking at three prime sites last year in a bid to overcome traffic congestion problems.

A district council has ruled out a major policy U-turn after opting against introducing car parking charges in Attleborough.

Attleborough Town Council called for the end of free parking at three prime sites last year in a bid to overcome traffic congestion problems.

But Breckland councillors said they intended to continue the local authority's 'no charge' policy after investigating the town's car parking issues. Parking also remains free at Breckland's other market towns Dereham, Swaffham, Thetford and Watton.

A public meeting took place at Attleborough Town Hall on Monday where the district council set out proposals to introduce short to medium-term parking restrictions at two sites in Attleborough to deter all day parkers.

The authority's parking task and finish group is also recommending the creation of a traffic warden post to enforce the changes proposed at the Queen's Square and Horse Pit car parks. Long stay parking is recommended to continue at the Edenside site in Attleborough.

The proposals come after five meetings and a detailed survey by the University of East Anglia's business school. District councillors have decided against any radical changes to parking provision in Attleborough until the outcome of the Local Development Framework (LDF), which has earmarked 4,500 new homes in the town by 2026.

Shirley Matthews, chairman of the task group, said: 'We have been asked by many local people in the interests of the local economy to come up with a solution to help shoppers and local people get to the centre of the town.'

'Currently the town centre's limited car parking spaces are mostly being taken up all day by long-term car parkers. Short-term parking orders are proven to be successful when operated hand-in-hand with enforcement and I hope this can be the same in Attleborough.'

Mayor Vera Dale said she hoped the proposals would stop shoppers and workers from using Attleborough as a free all day park and ride.

'We are happy they [Breckland] have looked at it and tried to alleviate the problem. With the LDF coming in we do not know what is going to happen and spending a lot of money now could be counterproductive.'

'They have taken it seriously and spent a lot of time on it, but whether we get the right outcome for the town is a different matter,' she said.

A final decision is set to be made at the Breckland Council headquarters in Dereham at 3pm on March 30.