Businesses fear impact of parking charge rise

Businesses and shoppers have voiced concerns at plans to raise parking charges in Shrewsbury, warning higher costs could deter visitors from the town centre.

Shropshire Council is considering raising some on-street parking charges from £3.60 to £4.80 an hour, with the extra revenue helping fund transport improvements including the return of a Sunday park-and-ride service.

Traders said the increases could further reduce footfall at a time when many town centre businesses are already facing challenges.

Gwen Wellings, who runs Diggidy Dogs Pet Boutique, branded the proposals "absolutely disastrous", claiming previous parking price rises had already had a "detrimental effect" on town centre trade.

Under the proposals, Band 2 car parks, including Bridge Street, would increase from £2.80 to £3.80 an hour, while Band 3 sites such as St Julian's Friars would rise from £1.40 to £2.00.

Charges at Band 4 car parks, including Frankwell Riverside, would fall from £1.20 to £1.00 an hour, while there would be no changes to Bands 5, 6 and 7.

Wellings, a former mayor of Shrewsbury, said parking in the town had become "a cash cow" and argued businesses were not being listened to.

"Previous councils have tried it, and they keep putting it up," she said.

Fellow town centre trader Mark Edwards, who runs shoe shop Prégo, said higher charges could affect how long people spent in the town.

"People are starting to think, 'if I can't stay the whole day because it's too expensive, I'll only stay for two hours'," he said.

"When shops struggle, we have to put our prices down to tempt customers. But for some reason when the council struggle they seem to think they have to put prices up."

Shopper Catherine Laishley said she had recently paid more than £12 to park all day at St Julian's Friars.

While she welcomed investment in transport, she said rising parking costs could discourage some visitors.

"I don't come into town often," she said. "It's easier to go to out-of-town shopping malls and retail parks."

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, which represents town centre businesses, said firms were concerned about the effect further increases could have on trade.

He said data collected by the organisation suggested visitors were spending less time in car parks following previous price rises and that sales were down by about 5% compared with last year.

"The Sunday service is a positive move," he said. "But it shouldn't be one or the other."

Slater said the BID would like to see a pay-on-exit system introduced, arguing it would allow people to spend longer in the town without worrying about parking time limits.

Responding to the concerns, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for transport, Rob Wilson, said the proposals offered an opportunity to bring back Sunday park-and-ride services in Shrewsbury for the first time in more than a decade.

He said additional income from parking charges would be reinvested in transport improvements, including measures to manage parking demand and encourage alternative ways of travelling.

Wilson said the council recognised the importance of the proposals to residents and businesses and thanked those who had shared their views.

The plans are due to be considered at a council meeting on 14 October.

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