Motorists parking in the centre of Canterbury will soon have to fork out as much as £3.50 an hour after plans to increase the rates were controversially approved.

Shoppers say the fees are already "extortionate" and have branded the hikes the “final nail in the coffin for many”.

But councillors ignored the pleas of more than 100 residents as they voted this week to enforce price rises across the district.

The 25% increase in two central car parks - from £2.80 to £3.50 by next year - will see the city surpass the highest charges in places such as Cambridge and Chester, and bring it closer to the most expensive fees in Brighton and Oxford.

Canterbury council bosses say the additional revenue from parking - which makes up more than 25% of the council’s income - will help plug its £5 million deficit.

The increased fees - to be ratified in the coming weeks - are to be introduced over the next two financial years, and will see motorists in the city’s most popular Watling Street and Queningate car parks hit with a “premium tariff”.

Rates will rise from £2.80 an hour to £3.50 by 2023/24, while other sites will also see their fees increase, albeit by a smaller percentage.

It is hoped the proposed hikes and price freezes will encourage people to park at less-used sites and lower carbon emissions in the city.

But shoppers are already unimpressed with the existing charges.

One Watling Street user said: "I only went in for a healthy lunch at The Veg Box Cafe with my daughter and grandson - never again.

"The parking cost more than my meal.

"I'd much rather give my money to the hard-working independents who are trying to recover from the pandemic, but the council doesn't seem to be doing much to encourage footfall or spending in the city centre if it's willing to charge £13 for just over four hours' parking."

"By increasing the parking charges the council is just adding to the woes..."

After revealing its plans to hike prices, the council opened a six-week public consultation at the end of last year, with a total of 142 objections being lodged against the changes in the city.

One resident wrote: “Canterbury city shopping is in death throes. By increasing the parking charges the council is just adding to the woes.”

Another said: “Businesses have struggled enough as a result of pandemic and out-of-town shopping centres. This will be the final nail in the coffin for many. Increased car parking charges will deter locals.”

The council is also set to introduce a minimum two-hour Saturday stay at Watling Street and Queningate, meaning any visit, however short, would attract a fee of at least £7.

The debate over parking charges comes amid concerns about how high streets are to recover after being obliterated by the pandemic.

Canterbury's fees are already among the highest in Kent, where there is a stark disparity in rates.

In Swale, motorists are charged just £1 an hour, and plans to increase this to 20p have been met with opposition.

In Tunbridge Wells, the hourly rate is as high as £1.60, and in nearby Sevenoaks it's £2,

In Medway, there is a flat rate of £1.20 for those staying no longer than an hour, and Dartford offers the cheaper sum of £1 for up to two hours.

Prices creep up in Ashford, where the top rate is £2.40, and further still to £2.50 in Maidstone's Fremlin Walk.

But even they are surpassed by Ramsgate harbour, where summer visitors must fork out £3 an hour.

Critics have labelled the latest increases in Canterbury “greedy” and called on the council to stop using parking as a “cash cow” to rake in lost revenue, but council leader Ben Fitter-Harding has defended the city-wide proposals.

“Watling Street and Queningate are the ones primarily used by visitors when they come to Canterbury” he said.

“Visitors contribute to our vital services by paying those charges.

“Having this targeted approach is a benefit to residents - it’s a much fairer approach.

“We’re letting people choose where they want to go rather than just whacking the same price on every car park.

“I hope residents will use the different parking charges as an incentive to park at the less-utilised areas. You really can just park a little further away - it’s like a one or two-minute difference - and you can save a lot.

“I do not think it will impact people coming into the city.

“Parking is a vital income source for the council. We have a commitment to tackle climate change and encourage residents and visitors to use sustainable transport, or walk and cycle.

“Therefore the council has to balance that out with the price of parking. There is a price to driving in.”

Council chief executive Colin Carmichael previously told KentOnline how car parks would still be “100% full” even if the rates were doubled.

Having agreed on the price alterations for parking in the city at Thursday night's regeneration committee meeting, the proposals will be voted on at a policy committee meeting.

They will then be introduced from April.