Last updated 13:28, Friday, 28 November 2008

For many years the shops in our town and city centres have lived in fear of the giant shopping developments on the outskirts, open 24 hours a day and offering free parking.

The car park at Carlisle Civic Centre

Nowadays these superstores sell not just groceries but newspapers, magazines, books, stationery, clothes, CDs, DVDs and even television sets. And many small, high street businesses have disappeared as they find themselves unable to compete with their huge out-of-town rivals.

But some businesses in the centre of Carlisle fear the situation is about to get worse – as the city council considers increasing the cost of parking at its central car parks.

The shops are worried that the increases will push more shoppers than ever towards the out-of-town stores with their free parking – or further afield, to the likes of Gateshead’s MetroCentre or the Trafford Centre in Manchester, where motorists can also park for nothing.

Council finance bosses say making more money from the car parks is vital. Just as households and businesses are beginning to feel the effects of the coming recession, so the council has its own money problems.

The city car parks are an important source of revenue for the authority, but this year they have brought in less cash than expected.

The council originally hoped its car parks would raise £1,552,000 during this financial year, which runs to the end of March 2009. Now, however, they are expected to raise only £1,339,000 by March – a shortfall of £213,000.

Several factors could account for the decrease. Rising fuel costs have deterred some people from using their cars, while free bus travel for pensioners is encouraging them to opt for public transport instead.

The off-street car parks in Lower Viaduct, Upper Viaduct and Bitts Park have also been reduced in size due to building work – leaving fewer spaces and so fewer paying motorists.

So, to maintain the income from car parks, increases in charges seem inevitable.

But shop managers and staff in the city centre are horrified by the proposal.

They fear they will lose yet more customers to the 24-hour supermarkets – and believe it would ultimately lead to the closure of some businesses.

Ann Maughan, a shop assistant at Sawyers pharmacy in Fisher Street, said in the coming recession people would look for items to cut – and she predicted parking would be one of them.

“I’m sure it will stop people coming into town,” she said. “It could harm one-off shops like us.

“If anything the council should be bringing the charges down, and doing something to bring people into the city – not stop them coming in.”

She also argued that the authority could find savings elsewhere.

“I would cut their wages, or cut down on councillors’ expenses,” she said.

Stewart Grant, assistant manager of Bookends bookshop in Castle Street, said bookshops already faced tough conditions, with supermarkets stocking bestsellers and discounts available on the internet. He felt higher parking charges would make matters worse.

“Without a shadow of a doubt we would be affected by higher parking charges,” he said.

“Any retailer will tell you that competition is coming from every direction. Amazon is taking trade and supermarkets are selling books at half-price. An increase in parking will just add to this.”

Like Mrs Maughan, Mr Grant questioned the council’s need for extra cash. He said: “You have to ask yourself where the money is going.

“Are we going to get a better rubbish service? Are they going to sweep up more leaves?

“If there was less for council workers’ pensions maybe we wouldn’t need this.”

One customer in Bookends, who asked not to be named, said the charges as they stood already put her off shopping in the city centre.

“Parking’s already too expensive,” the shopper said. “I don’t come into town unless I have to.”

Sue Dodds, supervisor of Jaeger in Green Market, also feared the increases would deter shoppers.

“Most of our customers come from the countryside, so they are coming in by car,” she said. “I think it will make them think twice.”

And Barbara Reid at Fiona Habbick jewellery and crafts shop agreed that shoppers who had to drive could be put off by the increases.

“We have a lot of people coming from the country and a lot of Scottish people,” said Mrs Reid. “They have to park.”

Newsagents have suffered since supermarkets began stocking newspapers and magazines and David Hodgson, of Hodgson’s newsagent in Lowther Street, said any measure that encouraged more shoppers to head to out-of-town superstores would harm him.

“Over the years independent newsagents have suffered greatly,” he said. “First it was with garage forecourts selling papers, and now supermarkets.

“I think the parking is expensive enough, without going any higher.”

No firm decision on increases has yet been taken. But council deputy leader John Mallinson, who is in charge of finance, said all councils were facing difficulties at the moment, and since parking was raising less money than expected, the increases had to be considered.

“The council needs to adjust to the changing economic climate,” he said. “We have a lot of pressures that we need to accommodate.”

Mr Mallinson accepted there was a danger that parking increases would put off city centre shoppers and said: “We need to strike the right balance between how much we charge and the negative effect extra charges would no doubt have.

“We realise that retailers would not be keen on anything that discourages people from coming into their shops.”

But he added that doing nothing was not an option.

“We get a fixed grant from the Government, so the alternatives are to increase the council tax, increase our charges or cut services,” he said.

“Parking brings in a significant sum of money, but it is not meeting its target at the moment.”