Dartmoor National Park looks for new income as £200k parking revenue falls short

Car parking fees are bringing in £200,000 of income to Dartmoor National Park Authority each year, but it is seeking more money-making assets and ideas to plug its shortfall in government funding.

Although a much larger area than Dartmoor, the Lake District National Park is making £1 million from car parking fees each year.

READ NEXT: Plymouth hospitals receive funding boost as local builder backs NHS charity

Dartmoor only has a small number of paying car parks, six, but whether there will be more in the future will be a decision for the park authority, which is about to enter a new era following the retirement this month of its chief executive of 18 years, Dr Kevin Bishop.

Former civil servant Tom Surrey will be taking over the helm and will have responsibility for implementing a new business plan.

Dr Bishop said DNPA had been very successful over the last few years in diversifying its income streams, and its practical project work, from Dartmoor’s Dynamic Landscapes to the Dartmoor Headwaters project, was almost all funded by external sources through competitive funding bids.

But the park authority has been frustrated by its flat cash settlement from the government in recent years to pay for day-to-day services, which has resulted in a real-terms cut of 54 per cent.

An authority meeting heard this week that, in ‘cash terms’, if the national park grant had kept pace with inflation it would now be worth more than £7.7 million, but DNPA is anticipating receiving a revenue grant of £3.5 million in 2026/27.

Currently the grant accounts for 52 per cent of total revenue income, with the rest made up of car park charges and other fees and charges such as planning fees and donations from the Donate for Dartmoor scheme.

Dr Bishop said DNPA did not own many assets, and that was what made it different from many park authorities.

He said money-making ideas in other areas of the country included cycle hire in the Peak District and navigation tolls on the Norfolk Broads.

It was once suggested that people should pay to enter Dartmoor National Park in order for the authority to be self-sufficient, but this was very controversial.

Next year DNPA is looking at introducing a volunteer coordinator and boosting its number of volunteers.

An ambition in its business plan is to have 4,000 volunteer days organised or supported by DNPA per annum, and 65 new housing units each year.

Park members approved a balanced budget for 2026/27 on Friday (6 March) based on a flat cash settlement, with the potential use of earmarked reserves of £528,000 should it be needed to make up the shortfall.