Visitors to Chessington World of Adventures could be slapped with London’s £12.50 a day Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge, leading the theme park to warn it might be unaffordable for some families.
Chessington World of Adventures said paying the extra charge could prevent some families having days out at attractions in Greater London as they face sharp rises in the cost of living.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced plans earlier this year for the zone, which targets polluting cars, to expand to all 33 boroughs in the capital from August 2023.
The fee only covered central London when it was first introduced in 2017, but it was extended last October to include all of inner London within the North and South Circular roads.
The latest expansion plans aim to push more people into using public transport over driving.
But Chessington World of Adventures Resort has warned the extra charge could deter families from having “memorable days out” at attractions in Greater London.
In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the theme park said it supports Transport for London’s aim to cut air pollution in London and wants to see more people using cars which comply with the minimum emissions standards, but warned it would be “neither affordable nor practical” for some of its guests to make the change in the current economic climate.
The scheme requires owners of vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards, typically older vehicles, to pay a daily fee of £12.50 to drive in the zone.
Drivers who do not pay the charge face a fine of up to £160.
A spokesperson for Chessington World of Adventures Resort said in a statement: “We fully support TfL’s objective to secure a reduction in air pollution in Greater London, and continue to encourage our guests to take advantage of the excellent public transport connections to the resort.
“However, we recognise that many of our guests – particularly families with younger children, who need to bring additional amenities for their day out, and those from outside of the capital – continue to reach us by private motor vehicle.
"Whilst, like TfL, we want to see more people using cars which comply with the minimum emissions standards, we appreciate that it is neither affordable nor practical for some of our guests to make such a change in the current economic climate.
“Given the need for London’s tourism sector to continue its recovery from the significant challenges of the past two years, we would urge TfL to carefully consider the potential adverse economic impacts of expanding the ULEZ zone right on the London/Surrey border at the present time.
"Many households are currently facing substantial rises in the cost of living, and clearly any additional cost – such as a ULEZ charge – could be a deterrent to families choosing to have memorable days out at attractions such as ours within the Greater London boundaries.
“We hope that these potential impacts will be looked at carefully before any final decision is made.
"In particular, we would be keen to explore with TfL how we could work together to encourage even more of our guests to shift to using its public transport network, without penalising those who unavoidably have to travel by car.”
The price of a one-day ticket to Chessington World of Adventures starts from £36 per person if bought online and £57 on the day.
The cost of an overnight stay starts from £50 per person.
A consultation on the ULEZ expansion ended in July this year.
In an update on its website on August 4, TfL said: “Our consultation on proposals to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has now closed. Thank you to everyone who responded.
"We are now considering the feedback we received and aim to publish our consultation report and next steps later in the year.”
The mayor has previously said: “The health of Londoners across the capital is being damaged by air pollution and I’m doing all I can to improve it … If the zone is expanded, five million people living in the outer boroughs would also be able to breathe cleaner, less polluted air and this is why I’ve been consulting on expanding the ULEZ London-wide.
“Deadly air pollution contributes to children developing stunted lungs, asthma and a whole host of other health issues and new research has shown that it also puts people at increased risk of developing dementia.
"We need to act now to protect the most vulnerable from the worst consequences of toxic air and build a safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous city for everyone.”
TfL has been contacted for comment.
