Fears car park price hike will drive away shoppers

Residents could start heading to the cities instead of the town centre, said Lez Cope-Newman

Market traders in a Leicestershire town have said that they fear proposed hikes in the price of car parking will drive their customers elsewhere.

Charnwood Borough Council is considering bringing in hourly rates for its five council-owned car parks in Loughborough on a Sunday.

The biggest proposed hike would see an increase for an all-day stay on a Sunday jump from £0.60 to £10.

If the plans are passed, motorists would also be charged for parking after 18:00, and those who represent business owners in the town claim that will reduce footfall.

Lez Cope-Newman, chairman of Loughborough business improvement district (BID), said: "I fear that there will be a mass exodus of customers and people will go elsewhere, where car parking is free.

"We've got some big new estates around Charnwood. We want them to come straight into Loughborough, and not take off towards Leicester and Nottingham.

"It's 60p to park in Loughborough on a Sunday. They could increase that price a little bit, but not up to £10 a day.

"The town centre is vibrant, but when the new traders come in, they cannot be hit with a massive parking increase."

The town centre will struggle to compete with supermarkets and their free parking, Lewis Cavner said

The current car parking charges have remained unchanged for the last 12 years, said the council.

But some traders at Loughborough Market have said they are worried about the proposals.

Lewis Cavner, 67, from Cavner Brothers Fishmongers, said: "If you look at some of the big supermarkets, it's free to park your car. To have a huge charge here, it really will put people off.

"I've stood on this market for more than 50 years. There's no better market better than this. I think it's a poor vision by the council."

The council cannot please everyone, market worker Dhiann Dhillon said

Dhiaan Dhillon, 23, helps run a stall on the market.

He said: "It's hard to find the balance really. The council is probably struggling to find out what works, and it's hard to make everyone happy."

The council said its operating costs for car parks had increased by 27% since 2019, and the proposed increases would help ensure it could continue to provide high-quality car parks for people to use in Loughborough.

A decision is set to be made by the authority now a public consultation into the proposals has ended.