On-street parking fees rise Belfast, Newry and Lisburn

Traders have described the parking charges price hike as "disgraceful and unnecessary"

Parking charges in parts of Belfast, Newry and Lisburn city centres are set to rise next month, Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard has said.

Motorists will have to pay an extra 20p per hour to park their vehicles on city centre streets from Monday 20 February.

Mr Hazzard said fees had "not kept pace with inflation" in recent years.

However, traders have described the price hike as "disgraceful and unnecessary" and have called on the minister to reverse his decision.

Different hourly parking fees apply in Belfast, Lisburn and Newry

In Belfast, city centre charges will rise from £1.20 per hour to £1.40.

In Lisburn, County Antrim, charges will increase from 60p to 80p per hour.

For motorists in Newry, County Down, fees will rise from 40p to 60p per hour.

Some streets on the edge of Belfast city centre will see a 50% rise in parking charges, as zones where fees are currently charged at 80p per hour will increase to £1.20.

'Unacceptable'

The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) reacted with "surprise and dismay".

Its chief executive Glyn Roberts said it was "completely unacceptable" that traders had not been consulted before the announcement.

"Rather than increasing parking charges, the minister should be reducing them to encourage more people to come into the three city centres," Mr Roberts said.

The minister's statement said: "On-street parking tariffs in Belfast have not increased since 2011 and have therefore not kept pace with inflation.

"Similarly, tariffs in Newry and Lisburn have not increased since 2009 and 2008."

Mr Hazzard said he had "limited these increases to the minimum possible".