Outrage at plan to increase Shrewsbury car parking charges
Friday 1st July 2011, 3:00PM BST.
SHREWSBURY TOWN centre traders today reacted with outrage after council chiefs unveiled plans to increase parking charges – just a week after they were begged to lower them.
Business leaders accused Shropshire Council chiefs of being “idiotic” and claimed their new proposals would destroy the town centre.
Campaigners said they were amazed the authority was even contemplating increasing car parking charges when they had been warned it was having a massive detrimental impact on traders already suffering in a dismal economic climate.
The council wants to increase charges for a number of pay and display bays on town centre streets by 10p for up to one hour’s parking, by 20p for over an hour, and 30p for over an hour-and-a-half.
It also wants to increase the hours of operation of the pay and display parking bays so that they start at 8am, 30 minutes earlier than at present. But the council says motorcycle parking would be free and more accessible, with specific bays being available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Councillor Peter Nutting, leader of Shrewsbury Town Council, who runs a sports shop in the town, today said he believed Shropshire Council needed an urgent rethink.
He said: “To move it from 8.30am to 8am is ridiculous and causes problems for everybody who might live here or come to visit if they leave their car in town overnight.”
John Hall, from the Shop in the Loop group, said he had been left stunned by the latest plans.
He said: “I think it’s basically idiotic. If they are looking to destroy Shrewsbury town centre they are certainly going about it in the right way.”
Simon Airey, president of Shrewsbury Business Chamber, said: “I think it’s disgraceful and it shows that they don’t understand and they aren’t listening. It’s extremely arrogant and they see it as an easy way to make money.”
Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council cabinet member for transport, said: “We are currently talking with traders about how to encourage more people to shop in Shrewsbury town centre, and we appreciate any increase in parking charges won’t be popular.”
He added: “When full council agreed the budget in March, it included an annual increase of inflation plus four per cent for parking charges as a way of protecting frontline services in the face of recent Government spending cuts.”
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This TOWN is going to be a ghost town!!!!!!!!!!
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All the clubs have been closed down
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…..Bands don’t play no more, too much moaning on de Town Walls…..
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Like this will break the bank….
Grow up and stop moaning what are you going to moan at next, the xmas lights again???
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Christmas lights?
In these times of austerity???
It is an outrage, I tell you!!!!!!!!!!
Humbug!
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My thoughts exactly, if you’re worried about 30p, how do you cope with the possibility of getting a puncture?
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JIM,
Who’s moaning Jim? who needs to grow up?
Seems to me that you enjoy ‘moaning’ about people who you think are ‘moaning’ do you not think that people should have opinions? The point being that you obviously dont see this as a problem where others clearly do, so why do even spend the time of day to even make a comment? because I’m sure that you have ‘moaned’ at some point before.
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Ok it will not break the bank, but when you work for your money and you are frugal you care what you spend it on and what you are getting for it ie value for your money it does matter how much even if it is a small amount ,as the yanks say nickle and dime joe public to death in this case it will be the town I think. The guy who fails to look after the pennies is the guy we all end having to support further on down the line .
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You expect shropshire council to listen to people, you must be joking, its not in there portfolio…
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If you can afford to run a car and drive into town, you can afford an extra 10p parking. Plan better and make less journeys if it’s an issue or walk.
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I always visit Shrewsbury on a Sunday with my Disabled Wife and Son we dont like hustle and bustle so find it easier to shop on a Sunday, i find that there is a shortage of Disabled Parking Spaces in the Town, always taken up so i generally park on St Julians, and to prove that Shrewsbury Council are out to typically rob the General Public Disabled or Able Bodied they now charge £2.70 for 4 hours when we visit on a Sunday. Not so long back we could park all day for £1 or £2 on a week day, never mind the fact we then have an up hill struggle with the Wyle Cop. Cuts here, Cuts there because just like Telford and Wrekin they waste money on New pavements then a year down the line they rip them up and replace them with something completely different. No wonder Shrewsbury fails to be as popular as it used to be. Just like Wellington where i live, total nightmare, Hairdressers, Charity Shops, Pubs and little else, no variety and a total joke.
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Shooting yourself in the foot comes to mind.
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Jim – It will break the bank for a lot of the independant retailers in the town and I liked the christmas lights so ner
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Hold on to your horses.. Keith Barrow announced on the radio on Friday that this is old ‘news’ from a discussion paper that has already been dealt with and shelved, it’s obviously been recycled to fill column inches. It is not going to happen.
3,2,1 GO! You can now resume moaning
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If the council are so keen to get revenue in from parking charges, why do they issue some of their staff with free parking passes. Why can they not pay for their parking at work like everyone else in the town who contributes to their wages?
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I think the Star should rename name itself the “Shrewsbury Parking Gazette” after publishing yet another story about parking.
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why is it also that certain council personel also park elsewhere ie around frankwell/copthorne road, outside residents houses all day everyday?
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Because they’re entitled to? One can park anywhere as long as not on double yellow lines etc. No one owns the pavement or road directly outside their house…
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As always put prices up ! But it would be better to have more people to use car parks . If no one comes into town then shops loose money then cant pay the rates then shops close . It all has a knock on effect.
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Loaf of bread = too expensive
Pint of Beer = too expensive
Prescription = too expensive
Gas = too expensive
Electricity = too expensive
School Uniform= too expensive
Petrol = too expensive
Stop banging on about ruddy carparks, everythings gone up
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My mum used to come down to visit every week and we go shopping together in Shrewsbury.
now she visits every 3 weeks because parking is so expensive.
I know raising it slightly doesn’t sound like it’ll break the bank, but £6 for all day parking is extreamly expensive.
if you want more people to come in, reduce the costs, and advertise that the costs have come down. and PLEASE give us back reduced parking fees on a sunday.
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To all those that have to pay to visit relatives in Frankwell and Mountfields at weekends like I have to, look at the cars park on Frankwell quay, the majority of the cars parked near the Longnor Street pedestrian exit have Shropshire Council parking permits for anytime any park, why because they work for Shropshire Council , what a perk, worth up to if you calculate it a possible extra £2k on their salaries ever year, whilst denying us the tax payers who have to pay to park to work the income through the car parks. I hope that HMRC are aware of this perk that no other workers within the town get, and to add that Frankwell is only one of the many parks, you will find such vouchers being used on all the Shropshire Council car parks around the county .
Three reason why car parking charges will not come down is the fact that all the councilors also get a voucher, so the pain of paying to visit relatives is of no concern to them, they are too busy thinking up further hideous ways to spend our money, like our lose making theatre and sports halls , what next for the town, I know an international airport or a lighthouse .
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Many people now shop on line and order goods /food for home delivery.
Its not hard to see the future 10 or 15 yrs ahead. Semi illiterate, jobless stuck at home … gawping at TV rubbish and gulping down dialapizza, supermarket processed food delivered to the door, indian/chinese / meals on wheels ferried up and down streets… the population housebound unable to travel … petrol at £50 a litre…. television propaganda dulling the senses… mmmm seems it could be upon us sooner than we think …. Oh! and town centres boarded up and ruled by ddrug gangs You were right George Orwell so was Darwin .. but now we’re regressing.
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