THE chair of Staple Hill Chamber of Trade says car new parking charges will “kill off” his and other High Street businesses.
George Georgiou says the charges at car parks in Page Road, Byron Place and Haynes Lane have led to a fall in trade of up to 30% for his business and others in the area since they were introduced in May by South Gloucestershire Council.
He says shoppers are going to other areas like Emersons Green, where they can park free – and that the charges are undermining the council’s own efforts to support high street businesses.
The council says it will take three to six months to analyse the impact of the charges – but George says his and other businesses are “not going to be here by then”.
He has called for an urgent rethink – and for the current charges to be replaced by a £1 flat rate.
The Voice visited the Page Road short stay car park with George, who runs the Butcher’s Hook on nearby Staple Hill High Street, on a Monday afternoon in July at around 1.30pm, which he says would usually be one of the busiest times of the day.
Seven cars were parked in more than 40 paid spaces, along with three blue badge holders, who have free parking for up to four hours, and six cars in spaces reserved for the Page Community Association. One car parked in one of the five free 30-minute spaces.
At Byron Place, four cars were parked at 2pm – two in marked disabled spaces and two in regular parking spaces. The other 45 spaces at the car park, which is long stay-only with a minimum £3 charge, were empty.
The free Tesco car park, which is owned and run by the supermarket for customers’ use, was packed, with a steady flow of cars arriving and departing.
George said: “The car parks are nearly empty – I couldn’t run a business like that.
“Trade has dropped by 25 to 30% since they brought in the charges. I can show the council how my business has deteriorated but it’s not just me, it’s the whole street – everyone’s the same.All my customers will be going to the supermarkets where the parking is free, like Emersons Green and Longwell Green. The council is literally pushing my customers to the big multinationals that are earning millions. They’re going to kill us off – they’ve killed the high street.”
Play cafe Animal Adventures closed on July 11, after two years on the High Street.
Business owner Tyanna Benjamin said that while the charges weren’t the main reason she closed, they were a factor.
Tyanna said: “A lot of customers came in and mentioned the charges. When you’re paying to come somewhere with young children, then you have an additional cost every day, it makes a difference.”
She said many customers used to combine a visit to other nearby child-friendly businesses with hers, and needed more than the two hours maximum free on-street parking on the High Street.
George said he was frustrated that while the council says the charges are needed to raise £800,000 to meet budgetary pressures, thousands are being spent on new signposts, bike lockers and maps in the area – a project funded by the government and West of England Combined Authority.
He said: “They’re squandering the money on silly signposts and maps.”
George says he has contacted his ward councillors and Bristol North East MP Damien Egan to raise the issue.
Asked if car park use was in line with expectations, a South Gloucestershire Council spokesperson said: “Typically, a settling-in period of three to six months is required before we begin analysing stable data. This approach allows us to measure the ‘new normal’ and make informed decisions based on observed behaviour rather than immediate reactions.”
The council confirmed the costs of new machines, signs and road markings for the scheme was £750,000.
Staff time, surveys, groundworks and other set-up costs are just over £240,000 to date, and the cost of the contract to run parking payments is just over £196,000.
The council has employed one extra officer to process notices, at a cost of £31,000, part of an annual cost of £350,000 to operate the 22 council-owned car parks where charges are in force.
A full council meeting in July heard that total income from the first seven weeks of charging was £146,000. That equates to more than £20,000 a week – but the figure includes season tickets, which can be for up to a year’s parking.
The council says it is “monitoring and evaluating” the effect of the charges on car park usage, footfall and business occupancy in high streets.
Asked about the suggestion of a £1 flat rate, the spokesperson said: “Any changes to the current charges would need to be considered based on the outcomes from the monitoring and evaluation framework.”
Staple Hill & Mangotsfield ward councillors Ian Boulton, Katie Cooper and Michael Bell said: “We know the introduction of parking charges has caused concern in many communities, including Staple Hill and Mangotsfield, and we understand the strength of feeling.
“The scheme is still new, and it’s important to give it time to settle before drawing firm conclusions.
“We’re monitoring its impact closely, including car park usage as well as the income achieved against the financial targets that must be met, and local feedback will play a key role in any future decisions.”