Night car parking fees 'on the way' for South Lakeland (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Night car parking fees 'on the way' for South Lakeland

10:23am Thursday 11th November 2010 in Ballots By Daniel Orr, Reporter

A CONTROVERSIAL idea to introduce overnight car parking charges has been branded as ‘outrageous’ and ‘immoral’ by traders.

South Lakeland District councillors are proposing to charge £1 to stay overnight on its car parks across the area. It is currently free between 6pm and 8am.

The move will earn the authority an extra £100,000, if it is introduced in the next financial year.

But key figures in the area believe it would be disastrous and could drive away people from restaurants, pubs and cinemas.

Graham Vincent, economy and enterprise portfolio holder, told yesterday’s cabinet meeting the council would look at the ‘realistic possibility’ of introducing evening and overnight charges of £1 per car from April 2011.

“At the moment a mother parking her car to do her food shopping is paying for those who go out at night time. We want to make it fairer.”

The idea was backed by Coun Brenda Gray, who said: “It’s a nonsense to say people are being charged out of the shopping areas.

"The only way daytime charges can come down is if we introduce charges overnight.”

But Ulverston Traders’ Association chair Ralph Spours said: “It is out-rageous. It is going to affect evening business in the town centre.

“Pubs, restaurants and takeaways will all be hit – and people coming home from work who use the car parks overnight perfectly fairly, and are not hurting anyone, will have to pay.”

Andy Poole, chief executive of The World of Beatrix Potter and The Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness, said: “It would effect our theatre season because people do travel quite a distance for some of the events, and the main question they ask is about parking.

“It would give people a bit of a bad taste because nobody expects to have to pay in the evening.”

Mr Poole pointed out potential safety risks of introducing the tariff: “If there is a charge they may park on single yellow lines and that could affect road safety in smaller places.”

The report to cabinet pointed out that Copeland Borough Council has an overnight parking charge which varied between £3.20 and £3.30, while in Lancaster motorists are hit with a £1 overnight charge from 6pm.

But Adrian Faulkner, of Windermere and Bowness Chamber of Trade, said: “We are very disappointed at this potential action.

"How much money do they want to make out of the people round here?

"They are already taking about £1 million in car parking fees from this area. I would seriously hope that they would reconsider this.”

Traders in Kirkby Lonsdale, where there is very little free parking, also reacted with dismay.

Andrew Wilkinson, the owner of restaurant bar Avanti, said: “I have always thought it is immoral to invite people into your town and charge them for doing so. This makes it even worse.”

And Andrew Downs, manager of The Royal Hotel, said: “It’s an awful idea.

"We’re lucky enough to have parking spaces for overnight guests, but our evening diners will lose their free parking.”

At a meeting yesterday, SLDC’s cabinet also voted to increase hourly rates for parking and extend the short stay period from three to four hours from next April.

Coun Vincent said: “That will encourage people to stay in towns and shop which is what we want them to do.”