Councillors knock back bid for 'vital' free parking to return to Inverurie
It was hoped around 120 spaces on Burn Lane, which became pay and display earlier this year, could be made free for the busy festive season
Aberdeenshire Council has shot down an Inverurie business owner’s plea for free parking to be returned to Burn Lane for the “vital” festive period.
Kim Curson of Gallery i made a passionate call for the controversial pay and display measures to be dropped in a bid to encourage shoppers to the town centre.
Her cry to remove the charges came as the Garioch area committee was given an update on the impact of the change following its implementation in January.
A report to councillors revealed the local authority has collected around £125,000 from drivers visiting the car park.
Councillors previously discussed the matter in May to consider a petition with more than 1,400 signatures requesting the free parking at Burn Lane be reinstated.
Ms Curson’s gallery and framing business has been based in the neighbouring Garioch Shopping Centre for more than 28 years.
She told councillors that the free parking available at the centre and Burn Lane next door had worked well during this time.
However, the only free spaces in the area outside the centre are snapped up in the early hours now as desperate workers rush to secure a space for their vehicles.
"Nothing short of a disaster"
During her passionate speech to the committee, Ms Curson said changing Burn Lane to full pay and display was “nothing short of a disaster”.
She added: “What was once a full car park is now virtually empty every day of the week.
“It is seen as an absolute disgrace that a prime town centre car park and an important public resource is essentially empty and not being put to good use.”
The business owner told councillors that her gallery and surrounding stores have had a 20% drop in footfall and believes they are being “suffocated” by the change.
Ms Curson asked for a grace period over Christmas to suspend the parking charges, arguing this would give Inverurie town centre a “much-needed boost”.
She also believed it would ensure any additional seasonal shop workers would be able to park with ease.
Festive season "vital" for local businesses
“We are about to enter a vital period for our businesses, a lot of retailers rely on that to gain important sales… It’s a vital time in our calendar,” she said.
“If we wait months for a decision, businesses will continue to suffer and there will be even more chaos in the run-up to Christmas.”
Inverurie councillor Neil Baillie wanted to see the pay and display revoked and the car park full once again.
He explained: “We have to look at different parking and what we can do to help businesses and our wider population, including workers, to come and work here as well.
“You could argue the point that we are cash-strapped as a local authority and you’re trying to make income from things, and that’s the right thing to do.
“But you don’t have to make money out of everything and squeeze every drop of money out of the public that are suffering in times of austerity.
“Sometimes it benefits if you don’t charge for something that people use on a daily basis, that they need to use within our communities.
“When you stop charging for things like parking you encourage growth, movement of people, and take away these problems we’ve seen with parking elsewhere.”
Bid for return of free spaces also backed by some councillors
Meanwhile, East Garioch councillor Glen Reid called for the council to begin the process to remove the pay and display measures at Burn Lane.
He said: “Inverurie is constantly held up by officers as a shining example of a thriving town and we need to protect it.
“I voted against this decision last year and I urge my fellow councillors to listen to residents and businesses, and act now.”
However, provost Judy Whyte believed a report showing data from a full year of the charges would be better first before potentially making a U-turn.
She used her own experience as a business owner to explain the risks of free parking being “completely abused” by all day parking and resulting in a loss of custom.
Following a vote, the call to start removing pay and display received backing of just four councillors while ten supported a follow-up report one year on from the change.
Council officers will continue to monitor the Burn Lane car park and give a detailed update to the committee in February.