'No parking charges please,' Nailsea Town Council asks

Nailsea Town Council said proposals by the North Somerset authority would have a negative impact on local businesses and residents

A council said they "firmly decline" proposals to introduce parking charges in a town.

Nailsea Town Council was writing in response to North Somerset Council's (NSC) Parking Management Strategy consultation which was open until earlier in the week.

The town council said it failed to see how the strategy meets the area's needs.

NSC said charges could encourage sustainability and provide an income.

In the consultation, NSC laid out its proposal to introduce parking charges to Clevedon Road car park, Station Road car park and the Town Centre on-street locations.

Charges would help fund maintenance of the transport network and reduce congestion which they say will also would promote local shopping and benefit business and the economy.

However, a spokesperson for Nailsea Town Council said: "It neither supports our local economy or responds to the climate emergency."

They said they were concerned the parking suggestions would not produce enough revenue to pay for themselves, as the consultation suggested, with Nailsea residents ending up "subsidising a scheme which they did not support in the first place".

Introducing parking charges will lead to current car park users looking elsewhere to park, for example, at Crown Glass Shopping Centre, Waitrose and Tesco car parks, councillors said.

Residential areas would also be used more for parking which would lead to congestion due to narrowing roads and restricting access, the town council added.

They said the town does not currently have an issue with congestion or air pollution and without the support of affordable and reliable public transport in the town people need to be able to use their cars.

Ms Smith said parking charges could be the "final straw" for many traders in the town centre

Councillor Anita Smith, Chair of Nailsea Town Council said: "These proposals could be the final straw for many traders in the town centre recovering from a cost of living crisis and Covid, so they should be abandoned by North Somerset Council.

"We urge them to focus on supporting the town centre traders by advertising and capitalising on the unique selling point of free parking, encouraging people to shop locally instead," she added.

A spokesperson for Nailsea Town Council said they were compelled to write their response to the consultation due what it claimed was "leading wording".

They said NSC is the highways authority so if they forge ahead with their plans for parking charges, regardless of popular local opinion not to have them, there is "nothing we can do about it".

However, they said NSC "needs to listen to public opinion and understand the real angst shop keepers and businesses feel towards the plans".

Almost 2,000 people have signed a petition against introducing parking charges in the town.

'Understanding'

NSC thanked the more than 5,500 people who responded to the consultation and said the pressure to look at parking charges comes from the national government's year-on-year failure to invest in councils.

A spokeperson for the authority said the feedback will help them understand parking behaviours and what challenges or obstacles charges could create, and what charge locations and short-stay permits could look like.

They said it was also helpful in understanding "what might work for one location, but not another".

Following analysis of the feedback, a decision for the next steps should be reached by the executive in the summer.