Shrewsbury businesses to discuss ‘trade killing’ parking fees
Tuesday 31st May 2011, 9:02AM BST.
Shrewsbury town centre traders are expected to pack out a meeting this evening, Wednesday, June 1, to discuss the town’s parking issues – which they believe are repelling visitors and killing off trade.
The meeting, arranged by the Shop in the Loop group, is due to be held at Ashley’s Wine Bar, in Shoplatch, at 5.45pm.
Councillor Andrew Bannerman, who represents the town centre on Shropshire Council, is expected to attend the meeting to tackle parking issues which traders claim are “killing off trade”.
Phil Freeman, chairman of Shop in the Loop, which represents traders, said he hoped that people turned out in force.
“There is a lot of concern in town that visitor numbers are down and the perception is that Shrewsbury is an expensive place to park,” said Mr Freeman.
“Many business people feel that charging for on-street parking and removing ‘park and ride’ concessions is killing off trade in the town.”
The news comes as a leading Shrewsbury businesswoman vowed to start a new campaign to protect town centre trade from threats posed by the big supermarket chains and costly parking charges.
Ann DiTella, who owns the Mytton & Mermaid hotel at Atcham and Mad Jack’s restaurant is calling for Shropshire Tourism Association to join in talks with the local authority and business community.
By Sam Pinnington
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Shrewsbury’s broadband speed one of slowest in UK
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
It is very clear parking fees are killing off the town. The issue is not whether people can afford them, it is they are not prepared to pay them, it may be in the big scheme of things not a lot of money however if you work for your money and are sensible with your money you care how you spend it, be it £3-50 or £1,000. Meetings are all well and good they achieve little in many cases what needs to be done is FREE PARKING on ALL sundays , FREE PARKING after 6pm they have NO excuse to charge for this, unless it is a blatant way of generating cash if it is, it is to the detriment to town traders and if that is proven to be the case the traders need to move from the town and set up else where .
Report abuse
On Sunday whilst waititng for my wife to return to the car I winessed five cars with out of town registration pull in to barker street car park the occupants take a look at the parking charges, shake their respctive heads and promptly get back in their car and drive off. There is absolutely no incentive for people to park in the town at all why can not the first 30 minutes/hour be free then a charge for subsequent time.
The council really need to be more creative in there revenue generation thinking instead of continually milking the drivers of the town and its visitors.
Report abuse
The idea that people are that put off by parking charges is laughable. If you really need something from town then you’ll go. Most people are smart enough to realise that any potential saving on parking charges are swallowed up by petrol use. Perhaps shops offering more than greeting cards or mobile phones is in order!
Report abuse
I live in Telford and while i do most of my shopping there we always used to pop into Shrewsbury on a weekend around once a month as the town centre there offers comething a little different. Sunday parking was £2 (double the £1 in Telford Town Centre but still good value for the whole day) and you knew what you were paying before you set off and so didn’t have to constantly look at the watch to see how long you’d been there. We got stung the first time we went after prices had gone up (not having seen anything about the increase) and haven’t been back since. Not exactly encouraging trade is it?
Report abuse
Dont go up town that often but when I do its usually a couple of hundred pounds me & my family spend. Its not just the shopping, but stopping for a nice coffee, or lunch somewhere. Yes I can of course afford the charges, but I feel very reluctant to go over the hour simply because the jump in car parking charges is, in my opinion, unjustifiable. Quite literally, the charging tiers are geared to get you in and out of town as quickly as possible. I am quite happy to oblige as I will just take my trade to a town that doesnt hammer the motorist. Public transport?? Dont get me started on that one, simply not fit for purpose.
Report abuse
Its not just shoppers that are being hit in the pocket its town workers too.
A quarterly parking permit for Abbey Foregate has risen from £90 to £115, that’s an eye-watering 27% increase.
Report abuse
I agree!
Report abuse
It isn’t just the parking charges, though this is a major factor. Many people simply don’t want to visit a town centre full of empty shops.
One of the biggest deterrents is the sheer number of violent and badly behaved individuals who roam the town centre of a weekends and in the evening during the week.
The perception from outside the town is why bother going? You’ve got to pay to park, walk past urinating drunks and spitting youths, only to discover that you can’t buy what you wanted anyway. Then, upon returning to your car you find that someone’s scratched it or knocked a window through.
Report abuse