All we want is a level playing field

10:40pm Wednesday 27th August 2008

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A SHOPPING centre boss says the time has come for a level playing field on car parking.

Last week the Adver told how Government was urging councils up and down the country to up parking charges to drive shoppers onto public transport.

Swindon Council said it had no plans to raise charges and had set tariffs it plans to stick to for three years in March.

Nick Beaumont-Jones, Brunel Centre director, says that the car park at Swindon’s biggest shopping centre has seen a drop in the number of visiting vehicles in recent months – adding more pressure to retailers.

“Visitor levels to the country’s town centre’s are under pressure as never before,” he said.

“Fuel costs, combined with the general economic climate, are having a deleterious effect on all communities and the very last thing we all need now is another reason to stay away.

“To even consider raising parking costs suggests that Whitehall is out of touch with the difficulties being faced by commuters and those needing to visit our town centres regularly, whether this be for shopping or visiting the countless other amenities and activities that go on in these vital places.

“Swindon has special problems. Car parking charges here are already higher than many surrounding towns and cities.

“The multi-storey car park which adjoins The Brunel is half empty every day except Saturday and our figures show that the number of cars using it has dropped by at least 10 per cent in the past few months.

“We know that potential visitors to Swindon living in outlying areas prefer to visit other shopping centres where car parking is or much cheaper or even free.

“Businesses in Swindon’s town centre have complained for many years about the unfair advantage being given to their competitors on the edge of town and in other shopping centres by subsidised parking.

“If there is one recommendation I would make, it is that we all operate from a level playing field where parking charges are standardised throughout the country at an affordable and sustainable level.

“This way the Government will raise the additional revenue which they seek without penalising further the struggling town centre businesses and amenities that already suffer from high parking charges.”