A protest against plans to bring in parking charges at a popular park is being held tomorrow.

People are being urged to turn up at Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells, to show their support and dispute a motion to scrap free parking.

The protest is being organised by former councillor and Conservative supporter Nasir Jamil, who says the park has been a "lifeline" for many people.

"It has a lake and wide open space, which is great, and many use the space for boating, picnicking, and a place to walk the dog," he explained.

"Residents are already really worried about their finances at the moment and the fact that they don't need to pay to go there is fantastic.

"I believe it is not right to charge someone for relaxing – it is basically 'taxing for relaxing'.

"The council is not thinking about people's health and enjoyment, they are only thinking about money, which isn't guaranteed to be fed back into Dunorlan."

He added: "Charging for parking will discourage people from coming to the park and it will create more chaos on the nearby roads where drivers will attempt to park for free.

"An accident is just waiting to happen if people begin to park along Hall's Hole Road, on the south side of the park, as it is incredibly narrow."

Dunorlan is home to the town's Parkrun – a community group which uses the area to run a route of 5k every Saturday.

Other activities include fishing, boat hire, pond dipping, a play area and a cafe.

The park costs Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) £182,000 to maintain each year.

It says the parking charges "could help mitigate this expenditure and provide some additional income to support our services".

TWBC has now begun a consultation on the future of Dunorlan, including its two car parks in Pembury Road and Hall's Hole Road.

A public survey is available online for residents to share their opinions, which will help inform a decision early next year on whether or not to introduce the change.

The consultation closes on Sunday, December 18 and is available here.

A petition was also launched against the introduction of parking charges, and has 1,328 signatures at the time of writing.

Run by Richard Harrington, the petition says the park "should be free to all" and not used as a "money grab".

"The park is a fantastic amenity enjoyed by many people from the town and further afield," it states.

"The introduction of parking fees is being justified due to a tiny number of users who use the park to go into town.

"However, for these users, they will simply park on some of the surrounding roads around permit times.

"Many of those who use the park are mobility limited, or have young and small children.

"By introducing fees, it disproportionately impacts these users, along with many others.

"At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is taking hold, the council should be looking at ways to encourage free activities, not taking these opportunities away."

Back in July, more than 1,500 people signed a petition against TWBC's proposals to scrap the one-hour free parking scheme in Paddock Wood.

The plans were initially put forward in a finance and governance meeting, which caused an outcry from both residents and businesses.

At the time, council leader Ben Chapelard said they were left with an "unsustainable" £1m deficit this year from the previous administration, increasing to £2.6m next year, and difficult decisions needed to be made.

In September, the council agreed not to remove the free parking periods in Paddock Wood and Yew Tree Road, in Southborough.

Car parking payments in the two areas would have contributed £408,620.

Mr Jamil added: "I have fought against this plan and thankfully to the people who supported me, we put pressure on them and they took a u-turn.

"Now the same thing is going to happen here."

Cabinet member for finance, Cllr Chris Hall, said: "The Borough Partnership is committed to stabilising the council’s finances.

'Currently the council spends more than it receives in revenue so we need to look at new ways of meeting costs...'

"Currently the council spends more than it receives in revenue so we need to look at new ways of meeting costs including maintaining our beautiful parks.

"I would encourage everyone to submit their views via the council’s survey by December 18.

"If car parking charges are introduced at Dunorlan we need your views on how to make it fair and workable for residents."

The protest will start at 11am tomorrow (Saturday) in Dunorlan car park in Pembury Road.