Council monitoring car park use after concerns over out-of-town parking

A town council is using cameras to find out who is using a major car park.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras are currently in place at the car park off Aston Street in Shifnal, with signs explaining that a survey is currently being carried out.

Shifnal’s mayor, Councillor Paul Williamson, said the town council is collating evidence on who is using the car park, which is currently free to use.

It comes after suggestions from some Shifnal residents that the spaces at the car park are being taken up by people from outside the town, who take advantage of free parking to catch the train from the nearby railway station.

Councillor Williamson said: “What we are trying to get is data because at the moment it is anecdotal that the car park is being used by commuters during the day, and it is suggested they are coming from out of town.

“So what we are trying to get is definitive information.”

The mayor said the survey is due to finish at the end of September and will provide the council with an idea of how long vehicles are staying and where they are from.

He said: “What we are trying to establish is, is it being used by a lot of people from outside of Shifnal, such as Telford or elsewhere to avoid car parking charges at other stations, or is it indeed Shifnal people who use the train for various reasons and they are parking the car there?”

Councillor Williamson said the information would be used to assess the pros and cons for future options for the site - including the potential of parking charges.