Liverpool BID Company has reacted following the city council’s decision to end free parking after 6pm
Liverpool Council held consultations into extending parking charges in the city centre past their current 6pm cut-off(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Ending free parking in Liverpool city centre after 6pm is a deterrent and must be reconsidered, according to the organisation that represents hundreds of businesses impacted by the change. It was confirmed on Thursday that despite almost 90% of people who responded to a survey saying they were against the amendment, Liverpool Council will press ahead with extending its parking restrictions to 11pm.
From next month, drivers will be charged from 7am to 11pm, rather than the current length of 8am to 6pm. It will also cost motorists more to leave their car in a city bay as 30 minutes parking in the city centre has gone up from £1.20 to £2 while an hour will now cost £4, up from £2.40.
Now the local authority is being urged to look again by the Liverpool BID Company – which represents more than 800-levy paying organisations in the city centre. In a statement, the company said while it understood the council’s ambition, the extension of parking charges “is not the right solution and risks harming Liverpool’s renowned and celebrated nightlife.”
According to Liverpool Council, since the creation of a controlled parking zone (CPZ) in the 1990s the city centre has “changed substantially” with the creation of new pedestrianised areas and off-street car parks. Cllr Dan Barrington, cabinet member for transport and connectivity, said changes to the city’s parking offering would help deal with issues like the ongoing scourge of pavement parking.
Council pay and display machine outside the Cunard Building.
In a statement, Liverpool BID Company said a number of levy payers and city centre firms had voiced their concerns about the change, particularly within the hospitality, leisure and cultural sectors. They said the changes “disproportionately and negatively affect their operations.”
The statement said: “Liverpool BID Company strongly urges Liverpool Council to reconsider its position regarding the extension of evening parking restrictions. We understand the ambition to reduce congestion, to manage parking demand and to improve air quality, but this is not the right solution and risks harming Liverpool’s renowned and celebrated nightlife.
“Liverpool’s night-time economy is a critical ingredient in the city’s economic prosperity and its brand. The number of late night venues increased in the last year by 7.8%, this city’s nightlife is second only to London’s.
“For 15 years running, Liverpool’s night-time economy has been awarded Purple Flag Status, international recognition for being safe and well managed. It is vital for us that Liverpool is welcome, vibrant and secure, whatever the time of day or night.
“These changes threaten both that prosperity and sustainability.” The company said parking changes would also impact the ability of staff to travel home after working a late shift and would make recruitment and retention harder for businesses.
The statement added: “It is a deterrent to visitors, affecting footfall. There is a lack of late night travel options meaning people will just stay home.”
This has prompted the BID to offer a solution of its own. They said: “If the council is unwilling to reverse the post-6pm charge — the majority of UK cities do not charge for on-street parking after 6pm — we ask for an alternative solution: the introduction of a fair, transparent, and flat-rate evening parking tariff effective from 6pm onwards.
“This would remove the burden from employees trying to get home. The money could be ring-fenced to pay for the public realm and to improve parking facilities and to improve late-night public transport services.”