Gloucester council leader wants parking meeting over fines

Shoppers who park at the Peel Centre and walk over to the Quays now face a £100 fine

The leader of Gloucester City Council has asked for a meeting, with the owner of two retail centres, after some shoppers have been hit with £100 fines.

New parking regulations introduced in the summer of 2023 mean shoppers can only park at the Peel Centre for free for two hours.

But walking to The Quays outlet opposite will earn them a £100 parking fine. Peel Retail Parks own both sites.

"The rules are too strict," said leader Richard Cook.

"This car park is owned by Peel Retail Parks who have offered free parking, with terms and conditions, to users of the shops in the retail park.

"We know many visitors have been hit by these charges for overstaying or leaving the retail park."

The operator of the car park, Ocean Parking, says it has more than doubled the number of signs to 78 to ensure everyone is aware of the rules.

'Caught out'

Despite the extra signs, some people said they were still being caught out because they found it confusing.

"The signs are inconsistent because when you park in the rear car park, it tells you to come to the main sign to read the terms and conditions," said one customer.

"You shouldn't have to go hunting for the sign. It's not good."

The director of Parking Services, Fraser Richard, said; "To be clear, each of these sign's states, 'customer only car park, you must remain on site at all times that your vehicle remains in the car park'.

"In addition to this, every entrance sign at the location also states, 'customer only car park - two hours max stay', thus informing visitors on arrival, the car park is for customer use only."

But business leaders have expressed concern shoppers from outside of Gloucester, who are unaware of the changes, could be put off returning to the area if they have a bad experience.

'Knock-on effect'

Emily Gibbon from Gloucester BID said changes in car parks always had a "knock on effect" for the local economy and shoppers.

"It disrupts their habits. And the change we've seen over in shopping centres at the moment, specifically at the Peel Centre, has changed people's views on how they view such things.

"However, we have to remember they have put signs up outside and sometimes, people don't read the signs."

But Mr Richard insisted the signs had been effective.

"The updated signs have had a positive impact on reducing the number of parking charges being issued, while also reducing the number of vehicles that overstay and thereby creating greater space availability for genuine shoppers.