Radlett's only council car park is being resurfaced from early September. The parish council was told to expect significant disruption and single-lane access.
Radlett’s only council car park is about to be dug up. Hertsmere Borough Council says resurfacing at Newberries, off Watling Street, is programmed to start in early September 2026, following the installation of electric vehicle charging bays that began in the week of 3 August.
Both sets of works reduce the number of usable spaces. Newberries has 196 of them, including seven for Blue Badge holders, and there is no other council car park in Radlett.
The council told the parish council more than it told the public
Two first-party notices went out about these works, and they do not say the same thing.
Aldenham Parish Council, which covers Radlett, published the advance notice it received on 28 July. It says the works “are likely to result in significant disruption for car park users”, and adds a warning that does not appear anywhere else:
There may also be occasions when access to the car park is restricted to single lane as work progresses.
Hertsmere’s own news release, published a week later on 5 August, uses the same sentence structure and the same programme dates. But it downgrades “significant disruption” to “some disruption”, and the single-lane line is gone.
Everything else matches: a reduction in available spaces throughout the construction period, traffic management to keep access safe, and advance notices displayed in the car park.
We are reporting both, because the parish council’s version is the one that tells a driver what to expect.
What is being done
The council describes the scheme as:
- New electric vehicle charging bays, with installation from the week beginning 3 August 2026
- A full resurfacing of the car park, programmed to start in early September 2026
- Upgraded CCTV and signage
No completion date has been published for either stage.
Radlett is the only town in the borough with no council EV charging
The charging bays are being fitted into a gap. Hertsmere’s own car park pages, checked on 24 August, still list zero electric charging points at Newberries. The works may already have changed that on the ground, but the council has not updated its page.
Across the borough the council runs 13 car parks with 1,717 spaces and 24 charging points between them. Six car parks have none.
Broken down by town, the pattern is stark:
| Town | Council car parks | Spaces | EV charging points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potters Bar | 5 | 355 | 12 |
| Borehamwood | 4 | 773 | 6 |
| Bushey and Bushey Heath | 3 | 393 | 6 |
| Radlett | 1 | 196 | 0 |
Potters Bar has half Radlett’s space count spread over five car parks and twelve charging points. Radlett has one car park, nearly 200 spaces, and none.
The car park was nearly sold
This is the second act of a longer argument about the site, and it is worth knowing if you use it.
The council assessed the future of Newberries from 2016 onwards, describing it on its own asset pages as a 0.9 hectare site of 197 spaces wedged between the railway line and Tykes Water. Environment Agency flood risk assessments at the site added what the council calls technical complexities, and it went to the market to test private sector interest in redeveloping it while keeping the parking.
That ended on 16 October 2025. Cabinet backed the Leader’s recommendation to retain the site and upgrade it rather than sell or redevelop it, after what the council called an open and transparent market procurement exercise. Councillor Jeremy Newmark, the Leader, said the review had been forced by money the previous administration spent on disposal plans, and that residents’ feedback through a community meeting was decisive.
The plans agreed then were resurfacing, upgraded lighting, electric charging points and improved accessibility. What starts in September is that decision arriving.
One small inconsistency worth noting: the asset page puts the car park at 197 spaces, the live car park page at 196.
What it means for you
- Expect fewer spaces from early September, and expect them to stay reduced for the length of the resurfacing. No end date has been given.
- Expect single-lane access at times. That came from the parish council notice, not the council’s press release, but both originate with Hertsmere.
- Watch the car park itself for notices. The council says advance notices will be displayed on site with expected impacts and any temporary access arrangements. That is the only place a firm date is likely to appear first.
- Charges are unchanged as far as the council has said. Newberries currently costs £1.20 for up to an hour, £2.35 up to two, £3.55 up to three, £4.80 up to four, £5.90 up to five and £9.00 for longer. Paying by phone adds a service charge.
- If you drive in for the shops, Radlett also has on-street parking on and around Watling Street, covered by the council’s own on-street parking page for Radlett.
Roadworks and travel disruption elsewhere in the district are on our Borehamwood roadworks and travel page.
Sources
- Aldenham Parish Council, Newberries Car Park, 28 July 2026, for the advance notice, the “significant disruption” wording and the single-lane access warning.
- Hertsmere Borough Council, More charging points, secure parking: Newberrries Car Park upgrade underway, 5 August 2026, for the EV bay start date, the early September resurfacing date, the CCTV and signage upgrade and the “some disruption” wording.
- Hertsmere Borough Council, Newberries car park, checked 24 August 2026, for 196 spaces, seven Blue Badge bays, zero charging points and the tariff.
- Hertsmere Borough Council, Hertsmere car parks, checked 24 August 2026, for the space and charging point counts at all 13 council car parks.
- Hertsmere Borough Council, Improvements to Newberries Car Park in Radlett, 21 October 2025, for the Cabinet decision of 16 October 2025 and the Leader’s quote.
- Hertsmere Borough Council, Newberries car park asset page, checked 24 August 2026, for the 0.9 hectare site area, the 197-space figure, the flood risk assessments and the market testing exercise.
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