Stonehill Woods Park residents raise fears over 'unavoidable' Greater London Boundary Charge proposals
Residents of a retirement home estate fear they will be stung by a £3.50 border charge purely for leaving their own homes.
Stonehill Woods Park comes under Dartford but a stretch of the half-mile bumpy track leading to it from Maidstone Road is part of Bexley.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan plans to introduce a Greater London Boundary Charge requiring cars registered outside the capital to pay £3.50 for each journey in two years' time.
Residents of the retirement park fear the charge would be "unavoidable" to them as the dirt road and main junction form part of Bexley.
And many of the retired homeowners say they are reliant on their cars to access outside shops and doctor's appointments.
Alison, a concerned Stonehill Woods Park resident said: “It is going to affect a lot of people on the site. There are 132 homes and most of the residents drive.
"We have to drive because there is only one bumpy track as an access road to enter and exit the site.
"But a lot of the locals are elderly and most of them are over 75. Therefore, they would all have to pay the £3.50 charge every time they leave the site to visit the hospital, doctors, to do their shopping or to see family.”
Alison arranged for a petition against the charge to be circulated around the site for local residents to sign and handed it to Dartford MP Gareth Johnson.
The MP has previously described the move as "catastrophic" and "mad" and has tabled debates in Parliament urging government support.
Mr Johnson visited Stonehill Woods Park with recently elected Kent County Council Chairman and Dartford councillor Ann Allen (Con) to discuss concerns with residents.
He said: “Stonehill Woods Park would be particularly badly hit by Sadiq Khan’s proposals to have a London border tax.
"You cannot get out of the park without going into the Bexley borough. So it is important that we have visited to raise awareness and talk to some of the residents about the concerns they have.”
If approved, the levy would be on top of the existing £15 congestion charge and £12.50 ultra-low emission zone (Ulez).
A petition against the plans, No to Labour’s Dartford Car Tax, was set up in February by Dartford's Conservatives and has amassed more than 25,000 signatures to date.
The plans have also drawn criticism from Dartford's local Labour party branch who said charging residents to enter London is not something they could support.
But the Mayor of London's office insists the charge is needed.
In a previous statement it said: "If the government does not agree, other ways of raising money to overcome the unprecedented financial challenges Transport for London (TfL) faces as a result of Covid may be needed."
The Mayor's office says a Greater London Boundary Charge for non-residents could reduce congestion and emissions whilst encouraging more use of public transport, as well as provide funding for investment in London’s transport network.
The plans are currently subject to a feasibility study and would be subject to a full public consultation where non-Londoners would be able to have their say, it added.
It claims some of the funds raised could be earmarked to support sustainable travel in boundary boroughs and help TfL fund bus enhancements and new walking and cycling improvements.