NEW FOREST CAR PARKING CHARGES & VERGE WATCH

We are expecting charges in Forestry England car parks to be introduced from 20th April 2026, although we are still awaiting final confirmation and there is no public announcement as yet! Details of the impending charges, their rationale and useful information can be found on the Forestry England website – https://www.forestryengland.uk/upcoming-changes-parking-in-the-new-forest.

In brief, charges start at £1.50 for one hour, £3 for 2 hours, £5 for 4 hours and £8 for over 4 hours.The main means of payment will be:

1. Payment by mobile phone will be available at all of 129 car parks using RingGo. If there is no signal payment can be made until midnight the day after visiting.
2. Some 16 popular car parks will have machines where payment can be made using a debit or credit card. Tickets bought at these machines are valid within the purchased time period to cover a stay in other car parks .
3. Forestry England Membership brings free parking in all Forestry England car parks nationwide. The annual charge is £96 with options to pay by direct debit. You can sign up here https://www.forestryengland.uk/national-membership. Please remember to designated the New Forest as the recipient for your payment.

The NFA continues to be very concerned about the impact of displacement parking and is conducted a VERGE WATCH in conjunction with NFDOG and other concerned groups. Please do take part – full details with the reporting form can be found below:

https://newforestassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Verge-Watch-2026-New-Forest.pdf

Verge Watch Recording Form:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAO__czXA1ZUQlkxUVpROUs1WFBBTjRZSFhORk5DRUFQRi4u&route=shorturl

Sarah Nield
Chair of the New Forest Association