Parking charges agreed, but Sundays will be free

Parking charges are to be introduced in Southwell, despite a petition signed by almost 2,500 people objecting to the idea.

One concession to those opposed to charging is that Sunday parking will be free.

From May 19 motorists can stay in the Church Street and King Street carparks free for the first two hours but will then have to pay.

It will cost £1.50 for three hours with an extra £1 an hour after that. The charges apply between 8am to 6pm but do not apply to Sundays.

Mr David Payne, Newark and Sherwood District Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for carparks, told a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday that opposition to charges was understandable when it had been free in the past.

But he said the council had to consider the cost of maintaining the carparks and providing security cameras.

“I have taken into account the needs of shoppers, visitors and traders,” he said.

“It is important that they are supplied with some off-street parking.”

Some of those who objected to the charges were residents who do not have parking facilities at their homes and so rely on the public carparks.

Mr Payne said it was not the district council’s role to provide parking for them and said they would still be able to park free at off-peak times and on Sundays.

“There is a shortage of parking in Southwell,” he said.

“It is crazy when there is a shortage to make it free.”

Mr Brendan Haigh, a Southwell councillor, said many people suspected the charges were a money-making exercise for the district council.

He said the Church Street carpark was given to Southwell Rural District Council for the benefit of the town and there were moral grounds to say that any surplus from the charging should come to the town.

He said if, after six months, it was found that traders were losing out and shops were closing he hoped that the charges would be removed.

“The retail economy in South- well is fragile because of the change in the culture of shopping with people using supermarkets on their way to and from work or making special trips to Newark or Nottingham,” he said.

“There are not sufficient shops in Southwell to make special journeys worthwhile. I think that any sort of charging is to the detriment of trade.”

Mr Peter Harris, who also represents Southwell, said the names on the petition were collected on a Saturday when there were many visitors in the town for a St George’s Day parade.

He said that many of those who signed said they might not have stayed as long if they had to pay for their parking.

Mr Harris said he was concerned that there had not been true consultation about the matter and poles for signs for the new charges had already been put in place in the carparks.

The deputy leader of the district council, Mr Roger Blaney, said they wanted to make more efficient use of parking in Southwell.

He said there was a shortage of spaces for shoppers and tourists that could deter people from coming.

“This will give far greater turnover and access of parking spaces,” he said.

Mr Roger Jackson said he hoped the decision would improve trade in Southwell.

He said a lot of people from nearby villages did not go to Southwell because of the problem of parking and he hoped that would change.

“I think this will improve trade in Southwell,” he said.