Free parking campaign wins backing from city Chamber
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THE Inverness Courier’s campaign to trial short-term free parking in the city centre has attracted the support of another leading business figure.
Stewart Nicol, chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, has added his voice to our Park the Charges campaign, asking Highland Council to give serious thought to a policy of offering up to 15 minutes free parking in on-street and council-owned car parks.
He joined Inverness MP Drew Hendry, who gave his backing to the campaign earlier this week, and Inverness Business Improvement District (Bid) which issued the initial plea for a more creative approach to city parking.
Mr Nicol said he was pleased with recent moves the council had made on the parking front, but felt it could go even further.
"The introduction of decriminalised parking and getting the new wardens out on the street was something that was long overdue as the situation over the last couple of years had become quite unacceptable," he said.
"By and large we’re very pleased with how it is working.
"Certainly it has meant people having to almost re-educate themselves about what is and isn’t permissible, but I think that’s fine and it certainly seems to be having a positive impact.
"We welcome the move, but it’s not the whole answer.
"I appreciate that Rose Street is a busy car park and a valuable revenue earner for the council, but a move to some free parking would send a strong message out that Inverness wants and welcomes shoppers as part of the bigger picture of what they are doing for the city centre."
Arguing that Inverness city centre has plenty of parking available thanks to the presence of the Eastgate Centre and Falcon Square car parks, as well as Rose Street, Morrisons supermarket on Millburn Road and on-street options, he added: "It’s more about what you do with that space, how you manage it and how you make it more attractive.
"We’ve got to attract people into the city centre and boost trade.
"Fifteen minutes free parking may well be part of the answer but I also wonder if a half hour or even an hour would be options in some places too.
"There’s definitely an argument for looking at all of these, working them up then trialling them to see how they work."
Inverness Bid manager Mike Smith said earlier this week that the call for a city centre parking review had received good feedback from businesses and the public alike.
"We see this as a major marketing push to help businesses and the feedback we’re getting is that it’s welcomed by the public in that they feel businesses are trying to look after them," he said.
Mr Hendry said: "It is vital to have a balanced view on how to take the city centre forward, and that includes listening to traders in the city.
"Bid represents the voice of the city centre, and they have been calling for this type of support for some time, therefore their experiment should be given a try."
As we previously reported, Perth are already trialling the 15-minute free parking option there, with Fair City traders believing it has had a positive impact by making it easier and more convenient for shoppers to move throughout the area, visiting different premises in different parts of the centre.
Keith Fergie of Perth Traders Association said: "A lot of small businesses are now offering customers ‘click and collect’ options so they can order what they want in advance and then come into the shop just to pick it up - that’s something the free parking really helps with."
What do you think of the idea? Would up to 15 minutes of free parking in the city centre be a help to you?
Send your thoughts to The Inverness Courier by emailing newsdesk@spp-group.com. Or you can take part in our online poll – Should Inverness city centre have 15 minutes of free parking? – at www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news
