City centre parking in Nottingham to be reviewed
NOTTINGHAM City Council has pledged to look at city centre parking charges "as a matter of urgency" after meeting businesses on Wednesday.
Independent shops, cafes, restaurants and bars met council leader Jon Collins and Councillor Nick McDonald and asked for evening and Sunday parking charges to be suspended until a solution was found.
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Protest: From left – Chris Forster, of Chocolate Utopia; Jasmin Barlow-Wilkinson, of Homemade; Caroline Jackson, formerly of Pink and Lilly; Jim Lee, of Lee and Fletcher drinks wholesalers: Ewan McFarlane, of Larder restaurant; Verity Mason, of A Vintage Obsession; and Dawn Suchoruczka, of the Hand and Heart. Picture: DUSTIN MICHAILOVS
They claim that the policy – introduced last November – of charging until 8pm, instead of 6pm, as well as on Sundays, is damaging business.
On Saturday, independent boutique Pink and Lilly, in Hockley, closed its doors for the last time. Zinc Flowers, in Pelham Street, also closed after Christmas.
Jasmin Barlow-Wilkinson, owner of Homemade cafe, in Hockley, said another two businesses in the area were expected to close. She said their identity was not yet public knowledge but would be announced in the next month.
She said: "We've already lost two shops, how many more is it going to take? These are critical months of trading.
"Ultimately, if Hockley dwindles even more, and we're already pretty barren at the top, people will stop coming up the street."
She said that councillors admitted at the meeting that they had "got it wrong".
But Mr McDonald said: "What we're saying is we do need to look at the impact they're having and see if there's any further changes need to be made. We're looking at them as a matter of urgency."
The Nottingham Retail Business Improvement District is carrying out a review of parking charges.
Mr McDonald added: "There's some things we could look at changing now but we need to be aware that review is coming. The reality is there are many, many reasons why traders are finding it difficult, it's not all about parking policy."
Other businesses that met the councillors yesterday included Chocolate Utopia and the Broadway Cinema.
Chris Forster, owner of Chocolate Utopia, in Friar Lane, said: "For us, it's more about the Sundays because we don't open in the evenings, but it does seem a lot quieter.
"People come in to go to church on Sundays or pop into town to do some shopping and will pop in to us on the way in or the way out. They're now saying, 'I didn't bother coming in, it's too much hassle to park'. My parents went to the Showcase last week instead of the Broadway."
Catherine Grimbly, operations manager at the cinema and arts centre, said: "Our concerns are that the extension until 8pm restricts customers who want to come to the 7pm to 8pm screenings and we're concerned about the impact that will have on our evening trade. We're responding predominantly to customer complaints .
"Our concern is that it will discourage people from coming into the city centre, rather than encourage them."
Ms Barlow-Wilkinson said she would also like to see clearer road signs pointing traffic into Hockley because she thought the road layout was confusing and acted as a deterrent.
She said the company had previously asked the council to put up a welcome sign for Hockley at the bottom of the Pelham Street, to help promote it as an independent shopping district. This is seen in other cities, like Carnaby Street in London.
She added: "If they continue killing the independents off, they're losing the interesting part of Nottingham."
51 Comments
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by mof_gedling
Monday, February 13 2012, 2:15AM
“FW you are spouting the same speil as collins himself, (i always wondered and now feel you are the same person), doncaster was a labour run council through and through yet the people voted a non labour candidate for mayor, why ?
he ran on the election promise that he would do what the people wanted not what he thought was good for them ,if he came here i would also vote him in ,we need a new banner ,Collins out !!!.”
by mof_gedling
Monday, February 13 2012, 1:51AM
“we want that guy from doncaster as our mayor, he will sort the wheat from the chaff, dont vote for status quo collins ,you will end up with what you already have, some halfwit with all the power that nobody can reason with,
hey starving you amassed 78 points at this time, you must be saying something right,”
by starving
Saturday, February 11 2012, 6:13PM
“Yellowslugs will still be slithering around so get a ticket quick. Don't go looking for change!
Round where I work they materialise behind the car like something in Dr Who within seconds of stopping. Especially in deserted side streets.
And don't forget their clever wheeze for a Winter Bonus by scrapng snow off yellow lines thereby going against their own Protocol.
If it happens to you, Appeal.”
by FormerlyW
Saturday, February 11 2012, 12:00PM
“If not Collins, then, due to the gerrymandered boundaries of the City, whomever the local Labour party choose as their candidate. So, either we end up with someone who is essentilally indistinguishable from the current Labour council leader, or we end up with endless childish provincial posturing and infighting, as the not-good-enough-for-national-politics Labour mayor flexes his ego against the not-good-enough-for-national-politics Labour council. Either way, it seems like a complete waste of effort electing a mayor as well as a council.”
by paulr27
Friday, February 10 2012, 7:51PM
“I have just discovered that someone has set up an online petition calling for the evening and Sunday parking charges to be completely scrapped. Please will all Nottingham Post readers make an effort to sign this important petition and forward to as many friends, work colleagues and relatives to sign as well.
http://tinyurl.com/7oxfuhf
After less than 48 hours there are already many hundreds of people signed. I predict that if figure reaches to above ten thousand then we may well see Ms Urquhart resign or get sacked!”
by paulr27
Friday, February 10 2012, 5:17PM
“I doubt very much that Collins would get elected as Mayor as he has upset so many people recently with his crazy schemes. Remember he was hoping to become an MP in 2010 but the local labour party refused to select him as a candidate.”
by meeki1
Friday, February 10 2012, 2:11PM
“Hockley road layout confusing, and acts as a deterrent! The motives behind confusing us was well thought out behind Labour's closed doors. Their style of dictatorship backfired, and now fear the forthcoming Mayor elections will get Nottingham a leader that listens to the public.”
by mof_gedling
Friday, February 10 2012, 1:42PM
“they have dropped the rate to £1, wowee, they still dont get it despite supposedly "listening".”
by FormerlyW
Friday, February 10 2012, 12:28PM
“The reality of an elected mayor, meeki, is almost certainly "Mayor Collins." Reason enough to vote against the proposal in the referendum!”
by Honey25297
Thursday, February 09 2012, 8:40PM
“It's odd that the council is so hard-up it is resorting to charging people for parking on the street, yet they have money for a 'Nottingham Light Night', I don't think that should be a priority.
Businesses are being ruined and people are being, excuse the pun, driven away from the city centre and anywhere else that charges for parking. It does put off customers.”