Parking charges will help fund vital work to care for the New Forest

2 October 2025 

Parking charges will help fund vital work to care for the New Forest

Parking charges are set to be introduced in the New Forest to help Forestry England continue to look after this special area in the face of rising costs and visitor numbers. Under the scheme, due to begin next year, local people and regular visitors will be able to buy an annual membership costing less than £2 a week to park as often as they like.

Forestry England looks after around half of the New Forest National Park including most of its green space that is accessible to the public. Its work includes tree planting, conserving wildlife, managing vegetation, and restoring heathlands and rivers. It helps millions of people each year enjoy the area by providing hundreds of miles of paths and cycle routes, 10 campsites, and 130 car parks across the forest. Its rangers patrol the area every day of the year and help address anti-social behaviour including fly-tips and preventing wildfires. 

Forestry England manages and cares for the nation’s forests. It currently gets less than 20% of its core funding from the government with the rest having to be found from its own activities including timber sales and car parking charges.

Caring for the New Forest has become increasingly expensive. This includes the price of materials needed to repair and maintain car parks which have increased by more than 50% over the last three years. At the same time, higher levels of damage to trails and car parks have been caused by prolonged bad weather and increasing usage. 

The money raised by parking charges will help Forestry England continue its critical work and avoid closing car parks or trails. The scheme will also significantly boost the numbers of rangers on patrol to look after the Forest.   

Recognising the importance of the area to the local community, a concession will be available for local and frequent visitors. An annual Forestry England membership will offer unlimited parking for less than £2 a week in all New Forest car parks with the added benefit of free parking at all Forestry England car parks across the country. 

The price of parking will be in line with other similar locations in the area. Prices will start at £1.50 for one hour, £3 for 2 hours, £5 for 4 hours and £8 for over 4 hours. Tickets will be transferrable between all Forestry England car parks in the New Forest making it easy to visit several locations with one payment.

Those supporting the New Forest through commoning activities and other key working forest tasks will still park for free.

To limit the number of pay machines and equipment in the Forest, paying for parking will be via mobile phone using the RingGo app or website. In the case of poor mobile signal, payments can be made after leaving up until midnight the following day.

A dedicated team will monitor the scheme and help protect any locations being used for unofficial, damaging or dangerous parking including at entrances to car parks, at access points to forest properties and on verges.

Craig Harrison, Forest Management Director for Forestry England in the South explained: 

“The New Forest is a very special place. Not everyone is aware of the huge amount of work it takes to look after the area including planting thousands of trees and caring for the forest’s special wildlife. We clear litter, remove fly-tips, speak to visitors, and patrol the area every day of the year. We also maintain hundreds of trails, paths and car parks so that people can enjoy getting out into nature.

“This vital work is no longer affordable given rising prices and visitor numbers. Charging for car parking will play an important role in us being able to continue to look after this precious landscape.

“We know how much the New Forest is valued by the local community so those who come here often will be able to benefit from highly discounted parking by becoming a Forestry England member. Everyone paying to park will be making a valued contribution in helping to look after this special place for all to enjoy.”

Local organisations identified the need to increase funding to manage the New Forest in a Recreational Management Strategy created in 2019. This set out several ways to manage the impact of the huge numbers of people spending time here, including by introducing charging for some facilities. 

Forestry England charges for parking at forests throughout the country. The New Forest will now join these, with the money raised helping to fund our vital work to care for the nation’s forests. 

Parking charges could begin in spring 2026, subject to the appropriate consents. Further details on charges, membership and timelines will be shared as plans progress.