Car parking fees for Nailsea

CASH-strapped North Somerset Council is looking at charging disabled people to park in the special reserved bays and put a line of parking meters along Nailsea High Street.

This is one of many proposals by the district council which is being forced to make savings of £47 million over the next four years of biting austerity.

The community and corporate organisation policy and scrutiny panel has been tasked with looking at a range of cost cutting measures/revenue generating proposals to help reduce budgets - these include the introduction of parking charges across the district.

North Somerset Council currently owns three car parks in Nailsea at Clevedon Road, Link Road and Station Road.

The other large car park at Stockway South belongs to Nailsea Unit Trust owners of the shopping precinct.

All offer three hours of free parking with the exception of Clevedon Road which has spaces for long stay commuters.

The car parks owned by North Somerset are managed by Nailsea Town Council which pays for contractor Euro Car Parks to enforce the parking rules although it takes very few people to court.

If parking charges were introduced, responsibility for the management of the council car parks and the enforcement of the parking regulations would be passed back to North Somerset.

The news that the introduction of parking charges could be back on the agenda has angered leading retailers, councillors, town centre bosses and chamber of trade representatives who held an urgent meeting at Waitrose on Friday afternoon.

They ageed the authority's need to balance the books could have a serious affect on the continued viability of local businesses.

And fears that the district council would go further than just car parking fees by introducing parking meters in streets and charging for use of disabled bays was revealed by officers at another meeting.

North Somerset councillor Jan Barber said: 'All this originated from my membership of the car park working party.  

"We had a presentation from officers and I was very surprised to find that they were suggesting it would happen across the district at Clevedon, Nailsea, Portishead, Weston-super-Mare and Worle.  

"The main problem in Weston is people parking free on street and so the car parks are not used sufficiently.  

"The idea would be to charge for both on and off street parking in the towns.  

"The map for Nailsea showed the charges for the High Street."

But Mrs Barber emphasised that as yet no decision has been made and 'it probably will not be economic for the infrastructure to be put in place in Nailsea and still make a profit'.  

She added: "A projection of the income generated as a maximum figure did include evenings, Sundays and Blue Badge holders.  

"There will be a consultation and it is possible that they are putting the worse case scenario and will concede that it should be free on a Sunday - except in Weston - and Blue Badge holders should be free, but it is up to the council to decide as it is not statutory for the disabled to park free. 

"I know that from several car parks in Bristol when I used to take my late husband Alan.

 "I do hope that the idea will be dropped for Nailsea."

Nailsea Chamber of Trade & Commerce president Gilly Chu who runs the High Street Gilly's cafe said any charges could deter people from visiting the town.

Mrs Chu said: "The chamber has always said that the introduction of parking charges would have a detrimental effect on the town.

"We sell Nailsea on the fact there is free parking.

"Other places like The Mall, at Cribbs Causeway, does not charge for parking and if the council starts to in Nailsea then it will deter people from coming here.

"People on a limited budget will have to take in to consideration the parking fees when they come here and in turn may be forced to go elsewhere.

"We are not out of recession and any charges will have a dire affect on traders which are already struggling.

"There is also the issue that if charging is introduced it will force people to park on the side roads and estates and this could lead to an increase in illegal parking.

"Parking charges is something which has always been resisted and the chamber will continue to do so."

Tesco with its own car park would unfairly benefit if charges were introduced, added Mrs Chu.

Nailsea Town Council clerk, Ian Morrell said: "The town council has always been opposed to the introduction of parking charges,

"The matter was discussed at a council meeting last week and the council will now be making representations to North Somerset Council on the matter."

North Somerset Council deputy leader Elfan Ap Rees said: "We are looking at all the options on car parking throughout the district as a budget measure. 

"We've had a working group looking at this as well as our strategic planning and economic development scrutiny panel but no decisions have been made yet."

Traders chairman Janet Hendry a local solicitor has written to council leader Nigel Ashton spelling out the case for no charges in Nailsea.

Mrs Hendry said Nailsea does not have the 'tourism' element which attracts visitors to Clevedon, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare.  

She said; "Nailsea is a functional town where people from the local area come to shop, do their banking etc, and meet friends in cafés and pubs. 

"The existence of free parking is very important to Nailsea –a 'selling point' even - it is advertised on large bollards on each of the three main roads leading into the town. 

"The imposition of parking charges will drive visitors away from the town.  

"Many of the businesses operating in Nailsea town centre are small and are already struggling to cope with the impact of the recession.  

"Any further downturn will have a negative effect and is likely to result in even more businesses closing. 

"I would therefore you to reconsider any proposals to impose parking charges for Nailsea."

And letting agent Ian Thompson who represents the owners of the shopping precinct added his voice to those opposed to the proposals to introduce car parking fees.

He also wrote to Mr Ashton as a commercial property surveyor who acts for a number of property owners and retailers in the North Somerset area, including the owners of the Crown Glass Centre, Nailsea.

Mr Thompson said: "I am of the firm view that in the depth of the current recession is not the time to introduce parking charges in Nailsea.

"Many of the retailers in the town centre are under severe pressure and any measures which makes Nailsea less attractive or more inconvenient to shop could cause a collapse in confidence in Nailsea as a viable destination for retailers to operate. 

"The town has strong competition from the major centres at Cabot Circus and Cribbs Causeway, as well as a degree of competition from its neighbours in Portishead and Clevedon. 

"I perceive Nailsea as a 'convenience' location with regular but small scale shopping trips for essentials, hence it must be convenient to park or it will not get used.

"As such NUT are embarking on a campaign to bring customers back to Nailsea, to make it the hub of the community, and provide a reason for its catchment to come into town, rather than visit one of its competitors.

"To introduce parking charges would be completely counter to this objective, and stifle regeneration.

"There is a real danger of 'killing the goose'.

"A parking charge would be a 'tax' on local voters and workers, putting their livelihoods at risk at a very difficult time, and in my view could well be an unsound commercial decision for little proven return to the council."