Metres to be upgraded for card payments 10p increase in charges per 30 minutes Renfrew and Johnstone set to pay tariffs £45 permit fee for 1,000 Paisley residents
Car parking arrangements — including new charges — in three town centres could be reviewed in a bid to attract more shoppers and visitors.
Councillors will consider a review for Renfrew, Johnstone and Paisley and will look at an increased turnover of parking spaces as one of the ways to boost footfall.
The report, set to go to the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board on Wednesday also includes proposals to modernise parking meters to enable cash, card and contactless payments to benefit visitors to the area.
If approved, the recommendations will see parking in on and off-street council zones continue to remain free on a Saturday and Sunday across Renfrewshire.
Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of the board, said: “We want to encourage shoppers and visitors into Renfrewshire and these proposals seek to make it easier for people to visit our town centres and give a boost to local businesses.
“It is important there is a turnover of parking spaces to allow people to drive into the town centre and have the opportunity to leave their car while they visit the shops, which may currently not be available due to long stay parking.
“This, combined with the modernisation of existing meters to accept card payments, should lead to an increased footfall in our larger town centres and be of real benefit to the local economy.”
Parking costs in Paisley have remained controlled in Paisley town centre since 2012, with the new proposals recommending a 10p increase to parking tariffs per 30 minutes and an extra 50p for four hours parking, with a view to increasing short-stay parking.
The review would see parking tariffs introduced in Johnstone and Renfrew town centres, bringing them into line with Paisley, with the aim of boosting parking supply and supporting local businesses by displacing longer-stay parking to the edges of town centres, freeing up short- stay spaces at retail centres.
There would also be an upgrade to existing parking meters, with the majority of current meters approaching the end of their lifespan and requiring to be replaced.
New meters would be installed which will accept cash, card and contactless payment to allow for easier use of pay and display zones at council car parking facilities.
A further recommendation of the report seeks the approval of a charge for parking permits for approximately 1,000 residents in Paisley who live within pay and display zones.
Issuing parking permits to residents in Paisley to allow them to park for free within pay and display zones currently costs the council an estimated £50,000 per year in administrative costs.
The new proposal would see an annual £50 charge introduced in Renfrewshire to cover these costs and allow resources to be reinvested in other areas.
This will align the council with the majority of local authorities who currently issue a charge for parking permits, with annual payments ranging from £45 to £190, excluding Glasgow and Edinburgh.
If approved, the changes would be introduced on a phased approach, with initial changes in Paisley beginning in April 2018 and the roll out to Renfrew and Johnstone taking place in 2019