Call to scrap parking fees to help business

A BUSINESSMAN has called for free parking in Plymouth city centre to help regenerate the economy – even though scrapping charges during lockdown cost the council £2million.

Philip da Costa, a director of the company that owns Princess Court, said removal of parking charges for the city centre is a “no-brainer”.

He said they don’t have to be scrapped permanently, just until businesses in the central business district have sufficiently recovered from losses incurred by the coronavirus lockdown.

Mr da Costa said free parking would help encourage shoppers back into the city centre and boost businesses operating there.

He said it appears pointless to be charging in car parks which are almost devoid of cars.

But Plymouth City Council said it had already lost £2million by abandoning parking charges during the lockdown.

Mr da Costa said: “It’s a no-brainer. Scrapping parking charges for car parks that are under-utilised, for the benefit of the city centre, seems to be pure logic.”

He said free parking wouldn’t have to be in place for ever, just until the city centre sees green shoots. “If it takes a year to get things going, then don’t have any for a year,” he said.

Charges could then be reintroduced gradually, perhaps at 50% the normal rate, he added.

Plymouth City Council said the recent halt in charges was to support NHS and other key workers during the pandemic – and had hit the authority in the pocket.

A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said: “Parking charges were reintroduced on June 5, to non-NHS and care workers, due to significant increases in traffic on the roads following the Government’s move to relax some of the restrictions.

“The relaxation of charges to support critical services in the response to COVID-19 is estimated to have cost the council over £2million.”