New parking charges 'will do irreparable damage to Ludlow'
Higher parking charges will do "irreparable damage" to the economy of Ludlow, councillors fear.
Ludlow town councillors have issued a plea to Shropshire Council to re-think the controversial new parking strategy passed by cabinet last month, saying their town has been unfairly singled out among those of a similar size.
The new policy will see charges change for the first time since 2012, and unify parking across Shropshire under a new 'linear' approach with all car parks and on-street parking provision sorted into seven bands.
It sets Ludlow's on-street parking in band two, at £.180 an hour - the most expensive parking zone outside Shrewsbury.
The new fees have stirred up outrage among traders and councillors, who are now calling for an urgent review of the scheme before it is implemented.
The town council said in a statement: "Ludlow is being very harshly treated by Shropshire Council's unjustifiable proposal to impose some of the highest parking charges in the county on a small and relatively isolated market town.
"Similar sized market town, Market Drayton (bands five, six and seven) is in significantly lower charging bands than Ludlow (bands two, three, four, five and six). The proposed charges for Ludlow’s on-street parking (band two) are exceptionally high.
"Ludlow Town Council believes that Shropshire Council has wrongly identified Ludlow as a ‘cash cow’, and believes that this wrong-headed thinking undermines the future stability of Ludlow.
"There seems to be a perception (wrongly) that Ludlow has a thriving economy and can withstand these disproportional increases. The reality is that many shops, market stall holders and other businesses in the town are struggling to survive, against a backdrop of increased business rates and competition from multinationals.
"The unique nature and balance of our town is fragile, and if local people and tourists keep away, we could quickly see businesses closing and a severe downturn to the economy."
Under the new policy the 'pop and shop' time will also be reduced from 15 minutes to five, which the town council said was "a further example of Shropshire Council attempting to squeeze extra cash from the economy of Ludlow".
It concluded: "Ludlow Town Council requests that the charging bandings and timing for implementation be reviewed as a matter of urgency and that Ludlow Town Council is included in this process."
The new parking strategy is due to go before scrutiny committee later this month.
