A proposed €2.50-an-hour parking charge for parts of Letterkenny has sparked warnings that it could drive more shoppers away from Main Street.
Several traders have already reported a 10% drop in footfall this year, amid traffic problems, online competition and the pull of free-parking retail parks.
The concerns come as Donegal County Council opens a countywide public consultation on new parking bye-laws, including scoping changes to charges and parking zones in Letterkenny.
Five sets of bye-laws are being reviewed, covering general countywide rules as well as the Donegal, Inishowen, Letterkenny-Milford and Lifford-Stranorlar municipal districts.
Under the Letterkenny proposals, a €2.50-an-hour charge is being floated for the new Red Zone, with a maximum stay of two hours. The zone includes Upper and Lower Main Street, Oliver Plunkett Road, Church Lane and parts of the Ramelton Road.
A Blue Zone would cost €1.50 an hour with no maximum stay, while Green Zone parking would be €1 an hour or €5 all day.
Yellow Zone parking would be free for up to two hours, while the new Purple Zone would offer the first three hours free and €3 all day.
Main Street retailer Leonard Watson, of Watson Menswear, said there should be no increase at all, warning that higher charges would simply make shopping on the street more expensive.
He gave the example of someone coming into town for a barber’s appointment lasting over an hour.
“That haircut just went up by €2.50 if they get their way,” he said.
“Nobody wants to pay more. That customer will go elsewhere because they have a choice.
“Our customers basically have to pay to come and see us on Letterkenny Main Street.
“We’re in competition with retail parks and shopping centres with free parking, so the last thing we need is another barrier to get people into the street.”
He said the Council should instead consider using parking initiatives to encourage people back to the traditional town centre.
“I would love to see this council do something different. Maybe put in an hour of free parking. Do the opposite of what every other town is doing, because that’s not working. Maybe give an hour’s free parking and then €1 an hour.”
He also questioned whether any extra parking income would be worthwhile if less footfall on the street contributed to businesses closing and the Council losing commercial rates.
“What they’re going to take in one hand, they’re going to lose in the other hand,” he said.
Letterkenny Chamber President Karoline Sweeney said the parking proposals come at a difficult time for traditional town-centre retailers.
She said many of the people who continue to shop on Main Street are loyal customers who deliberately want to support independent businesses.
“People believe in keeping the local business alive, and they want to support them,” Karoline said.
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“Then this is just another barrier to discourage them.”
On-street parking in Letterkenny town centre is currently €1 per hour
The Chamber will make a formal submission on the draft bye-laws and is encouraging local businesses and members of the public to take part in the consultation.
It is also challenging why Letterkenny has been singled out for the highest proposed rate in the county.
Under the draft plans, Letterkenny’s central zone on-street parking would top the table at €2.50 an hour, compared with €1.50 in Buncrana and €1 in Ballybofey, Donegal Town and Bundoran.
“I think it’s kind of a slap in the face to the businesses in Letterkenny,” added Leonard.
“Letterkenny is probably one of the biggest rate payers in the county with all the major factories. I think Letterkenny is definitely paying its fair share.”
Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who has been pushing for a wider review of parking provision in Letterkenny, said the consultation is an opportunity to look at the entire system afresh.
The existing free half-hour on-street parking in Letterkenny is expected to continue, with Cllr Brogan saying it does not appear in the draft because it is adopted separately.
On the €2.50 proposal, Cllr Brogan said “I think there’s probably a balance somewhere in the middle there, but we need to be realistic about what’s achievable as well.
“I think how we manage the parking is important, so that people can come and go and do their business and we don’t have people occupying parking all day.”
Cllr Brogan has long called for a wider review of the town’s parking facilities, including short and long-stay provision, loading bays and disabled parking.
The draft also proposes price changes at Letterkenny’s Council car parks, with most moving to €1 an hour and many long-stay sites costing €4 for the day. This includes the Theatre Car Park, which has been free up to now.
The Cathedral and Bernard McGlinchey Town Park car parks would offer the first three hours free, with a €2 hourly charge thereafter.
Cllr Brogan has stressed that no final decisions have been made.
He urged anyone with concerns to make a submission before the consultation closes.
“For us as elected members, we will assess all the submissions that come in, and then we’ll decide what is best for the town.
“I don’t want to pre-empt what will come of it, but I think people should make their feelings known.
“They should make their submission and then allow all the submissions to be reflected upon whenever we finally adopt the bye-laws.”
The draft bye-laws are available for inspection in selected Donegal County Council premises until Friday, 2nd October, while submissions can be made to Donegal County Council before Tuesday, 20th October.
See the proposals for all areas in full at consult.donegal.ie
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
