Parking New charges are killing the town, business leaders say

LOCAL businesses in Kingswood are “suffering tremendously” since the introduction of parking charges at council-owned car parks across South Gloucestershire, with one business owner saying the charges had caused an overnight collapse in trade.

- Angus MCINTYRE

A petition to reinstate free parking at Kings Chase Shopping Centre in Kingswood started by Adam McGregor, manager of the Specsavers store in the shopping centre, has acquired nearly 1,000 signatures in three weeks.

“From day one of the parking charges coming in, you could see the numbers disappear overnight,” Mr McGregor said. “It wasn’t something that happened gradually. From just looking out the window into the shopping centre and even the high street, the hustle and bustle is gone. The last 10/11 weeks have been disastrous.”

Parking charges at 22 South Gloucestershire Council-owned car parks came into effect on May 19. Under the new charges, drivers are charged 70p for the first hour in short-stay car parks, £1.30 for up to two hours, £3 for up to three hours and £5 for stays up to four hours. Parking in long-stay car parks and spaces costs £3 for the first four hours and £4 for four to six hours. Stays of more than six hours are charged at £5.

One business, Mark’s Mobile Butchers, closed its Kingswood location on August 2, attributing the decision to a decline in footfall caused by the parking charges. A neighbouring beauty salon has also permanently shuttered its doors since May.