FROME residents have branded proposed changes to local car parks a ‘terrible idea’ and the town council has called for Mendip District Council to ‘re-think its approach’.
Local businesses have also said that the news to increase charges and introduce Sunday charges have already impacted their trade, with the Cheese & Grain reporting that one annual event is looking for an alternative venue in response to the proposed changes.
The district council will be discussing their car parking strategy at next month’s cabinet meeting. The strategy proposes a price increase for a number of Frome car parks; the introduction of Sunday charges; and a price increase for car park season tickets.
“It’s a terrible idea!” said local Dave Watkins on the Frome Times Facebook page. “Places like Cork Street should be cheaper if anything, as it’s meant to be a short stay car park. They should be making it easier for people that want to just pop into town, to do so. As for Sunday charges, that’s just ridiculous!”
Jennie O’Kane added, “Workers who might be still using the car parks will then refuse to pay for exorbitant season tickets! Our narrow roads will become more congested with even more drivers forced to park there.”
“R I P Frome,” said Jeff Wheeler.
Steve Macarthur of the Cheese & Grain said, “The Cheese & Grain estimate the potential loss of their turnover would be in the region of £70,000 to £80,000 per year if Sunday hires are cancelled and their own Sunday events have to be cancelled.
“One of the bigger annual events (South African Day) that brings 3,000 people into the town is already looking for a venue somewhere else as a result of the proposed Sunday charging.
“If the Cheese & Grain stopped running big events on Sundays, other businesses will lose money including hotels, B&Bs, taxi firms, food and drink suppliers and printers. Lost wages would mean less money spent in the local economy.”
Frome Town Council says that the review of Mendip’s car park strategy has thrown up some serious concerns and that following discussions with local stakeholders, they have called for the district council to re-think its approach.
Cllr Mark Dorrington said, “Proposed season ticket increases are particularly steep and if implemented, should be phased in over several years. The increases in car park prices generally are stated to be in line with inflation but in practice for Merchant’s Barton, they are an increase of up to 64%. This needs to be seen in the context of what town centre users and businesses have said to us about parking.
“The 2017 ‘Frome town centre benchmarking report’ prepared by People & Places, indicated that 72% of businesses surveyed regarded parking as a negative issue, compared with 51% nationally. While in 2016, 74% of town centre users considered parking in Frome to be a positive factor, in 2017 it fell to 19%.
“We have some other concerns, namely that the car park strategy is not clear about the cost of car park operations which the district council says is the justification for raising prices.
“It is also not clear about how any surplus revenue that is generated will be re-invested. It talks about the opportunity to develop parts of the Cattle Market and North Parade car parks, but says nothing about how the loss of car parking capacity will be addressed elsewhere e.g. Saxonvale.
“We have had extensive discussions with Frome Chamber of Commerce and not-for-profit organisations such as the Cheese & Grain and The Frome Independent. All have highlighted that the proposed introduction of Sunday charging will have a serious impact on the events that are held in the town centre, especially if the district council starts charging for the spaces that are taken up by stalls and traders’ vehicles. It may also add to the problems of on-street parking in neighbouring residential areas, as people seek to avoid paying the new charges.
“The town council is calling for urgent dialogue with colleagues at Mendip about this issue. A detailed report has been published that highlights our concerns which has now been shared with the district council, as well as local interest groups which can be found at www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/parking-response-2018
“This issue will be discussed at the Town Matters committee this Wednesday, 25th April, and Mendip’s cabinet meets on 21st May to consider these proposals. We would urge anyone affected to let us know at info@frometowncouncil.gov.uk but also contact the district council directly at Chris.Loughlin@mendip.gov.uk.”
