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24
Feb
Parking charges after 6pm will ‘devastate’ Ripon’s nighttime economy
Introducing parking charges after 6pm will devastate Ripon’s nighttime economy, a business group has claimed.
North Yorkshire Council plans to massively increase the cost of parking in its car parks and on the street from April, as reported last week by the Stray Ferret.
But other parking changes, which are expected to be nodded through on Friday (February 27), could also hit the city hard, according to Lilla Bathurst, manager of Ripon Business Improvement District.
Ripon BID is funded by local traders to come up with initiatives that encourage more people to visit the city centre.
Ms Bathurst said the council’s parking plans would have the opposite effect and urged it to rethink.
She said:
Introducing charges after 6pm will be devastating for the evening economy, discouraging people from coming into town for meals, events and cultural activities. At the same time, higher daytime tariffs will inevitably push more cars onto already pressured residential streets, creating conflict and reducing the quality of life for local communities.
The council proposals follow concerns previously reported by the Stray Ferret about Tesco’s decision to introduce evening parking charges at the site it acquired on Marshall Way.
Ripon BID is funded by local traders to come up with initiatives that encourage more people to visit the city centre.
Ms Bathhurst said the council’s increased parking charges would have the opposite effect and urged it to rethink.
She said:
Market towns thrive when they are welcoming, accessible and easy to visit. These proposals move North Yorkshire in the opposite direction, and we urge the council to pause, consult properly with business representatives, and work with us to find a fairer, more sustainable approach that protects both our local economy and our communities.
The Arcade Car Park, where the 80p tariff for an hour’s stay is set to rise by 175% to £2.20, will be worst hit by the price rise.
James Potter, who opened new businesses The Greengrocer and The Little Truckle cheese shop in The Arcade last year, said:
North Yorkshire Council’s proposal to virtually triple the cost of parking at The Arcade Car Park is totally unacceptable and undermines the work that Lilla and her team at Ripon BID are doing to support both the daytime and nighttime economy of the city.
As a double whammy for businesses located in The Arcade such as ourselves, the council wants to hike the cost of parking on Market Square from £1.30 to £2.20 – which is another slap in the face for city centre traders.
The council’s Conservative highways chief Councillor Malcolm Taylor and Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, are expected to approve the changes.
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