Morpeth parking fees plea is rejected

Dec 6 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

A CALL by local business leaders for the temporary suspension of parking charges to help boost recovery efforts in a town devastated by flooding has been rejected by council chiefs.

Traders in Morpeth – where scores of businesses were hit by major flooding three months ago – asked for shoppers and visitors to be allowed to park free in January, February and March.

They claimed the three-month “holiday” from parking charges would help attract more people into the town, spread the message that it is open for business and boost trade.

But yesterday the Morpeth and District chamber of trade request was rejected by Castle Morpeth Council’s executive board.

Instead, board members opted to support a package of events and activities to promote Morpeth and provide longer-term support for the recovery efforts well into 2009. Funding of £60,000 has been earmarked to ensure that events and activities planned to stimulate economic activity in the next calendar year are given a higher profile to attract local, regional and national interest, and draw in more visitors and their spending power.

Traders felt a temporary scrapping of parking fees would be the better option to help increase footfall in the town centre, where some flood-hit businesses remain closed and which is being affected by ongoing construction work on a £32m town centre redevelopment.

Yesterday chamber of trade chairman, guest house owner Stuart Lishman, said: “I am extremely disappointed with this outcome because we felt this was a reasonable request in view of the disruption in Morpeth at present. Free parking for three months would have given traders a feelgood factor and it would have been a nice gesture by the council.”

Council executive member for the economy, John Beynon, said: “We decided to go for an option which will provide more long-term support for the town than agreeing a holiday from parking charges, especially when a free car park at Low Stanners appears to be under-used at present.

“We will be asking One North East to release some of the £300,000 in the flood relief fund for businesses to promote Morpeth during 2009.”

Click here to see how we originally reported the Morpeth parking bid