'New parking charges will kill our £1.5m expansion'

Andrew Varga says "it does not seem plausible" that the benefits of the levy would outweigh the growth of export businesses

A proposed charge on parking spaces would stop a firm's £1.5m expansion, a managing director has said.

Andrew Varga, from safety valve manufacturers Seetru, was responding after Bristol City Council approved plans to develop an outline business case for a workplace parking levy.

If introduced, the levy would see Bristol businesses charged for their parking spaces, with the money raised used to pay for public transport measures.

Mr Varga described the scheme as "economically unproductive", but Bristol City Council said it could reduce congestion.

The council also said the levy would raise money for "significant transport improvements", and could improve the health of "citizens and businesses".

Seetru, who manufacture and export safety valves, are based next to the Albion Docks, and was established in 1949. Its premises include 75 parking spaces, most of which are used by staff members.

'No feasible public transport'

The details and cost of the levy are still to be decided, however in Nottingham - the only other city that has one - businesses that have more than 11 spaces are subject to an annual fee, which is currently £550 per space.

Mr Varga has warned a similar scheme would have a huge impact on the firm's future plans.

"We are in the process of a large expansion. The investment is £1.5m, much of which would have gone to the council in business rates and rent.

"That is essentially dead. We cannot stomach an additional bill over the next five years," he said.

Many firms in Nottingham have reportedly passed the charge on to its staff, however that is not something Mr Varga said he is willing to do.

"We work shifts and our staff work anti-social hours.

"There is no feasible public transport, and people who work here can't afford to live in central Bristol.

"We need these parking spaces over the next five years," he said.

Bristol could become just the second UK city to introduce a workplace parking levy

Plans for a levy were approved at the same time as some significant increases to car park charges were also passed by the council's transport and connectivity policy committee.

Up to £1m has been allocated to allow the council to undertake a number of studies into the levy, as well as produce an outline business case.

Any new charge would also have to go through a public consultation process.

The committee's chair, Green party councillor Ed Plowden, told BBC Radio Bristol the levy was "desperately needed".

"We do need businesses to share the responsibility in order to change the travel habits of their employees.

"We know that congestion costs the health of our citizens and businesses hundreds of millions of pounds a year," Mr Plowden said.

He added that the city's "whole transport system is a little bit broken".

"This tackles the problem at its source, it will give us an investment fund to make our public transport better and improve it.

"Nothing is yet decided, the money is to make sure we do this fairly, equitably and work in partnership with businesses to do this well," he added.