Fears Gloucester parking charge hike could add to shop closures

Councillor Alastair Chambers said the increase in parking charges will lead to more empty shops in Gloucester

There are fears a 33% hike in car park charges in Gloucester will put more shops out of business, with the city already "looking like a ghost town".

City councillors raised concerns about the all-day tariff increase along with the number of empty city centre premises at a meeting on Thursday.

One claimed a minimum two-hour charge will also put off shoppers.

Council chiefs said they would continue to monitor car park usage to see if fewer people come into the city.

Councillor Alastair Chambers said it was worrying to see so many council-owned properties being unused.

There are concerns about the amount of vacant units in Eastgate Shopping Centre

These include 16 empty retail spaces at Eastgate Shopping Centre, two empty units at Kings Walks Shopping Centre and another two at St Oswald's Park and 19a Westgate Street, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Many shops are empty, many jobs redundant. Many places are closed. It's looking like a ghost town," he said.

"I appreciate parking hasn't gone up a lot in many years, but a 33% increase for an all-day ticket and a minimum two-hour charge I don't think is acceptable.

"We need to help our shops and keep people in employment."

Performance and resources cabinet member Hannah Norman said she did not agree that Gloucester was "a dead city".

"When I go to the city, it's busy," she said.

"There's regeneration going on across the board."

Performance and resources cabinet member Hannah Norman said she did not believe Gloucester "is a dead city"

She said Gloucester City Council chiefs were committed to monitoring the usage of the car parks after the tariff increase to see if it dissuaded people from coming to the city.

Mr Chambers called for the overview and scrutiny committee to look into the issue to make sure the council got "lifeblood into the city".

Ms Norman said she was more than happy for the overview and scrutiny committee to look into the issue.

She added there were "lots of good announcements" still to come this year and £2m of investment will be spent on Kings Walk Shopping Centre.