Progressive shift in parking pricing strategy to support local businesses

Swindon Borough Council is proposing to change the way it charges for parking with an emphasis on making it cheaper for people to park, the longer they stay. The changes to parking charges assume there will be no additional revenue generated for the Council.

The proposals have responded to the needs of local businesses who have welcomed a pricing structure that encourages dwell time to provide a spending boost to hospitality, leisure and retail outlets.

The Council is also preparing plans to provide free on-street parking provision along Commercial Road to encourage a ‘pop-in’ culture among shoppers who only need to visit the town centre for very short periods.

This will support small independent businesses in the town centre by providing quick and convenient access for shoppers and a boost to traders at quieter times of the day.

The new parking prices, which will be discussed by the Council’s Cabinet, would see shoppers pay a little more for the first hour of their visit to both the town centre and Old Town, but parking fees would be reduced for longer stays.

This is in contrast to the previous pricing structures, which added inflationary uplifts each year, disproportionately penalising people from staying longer.

If approved, the changes would mean someone parking in the town centre would pay:

• £4, instead of the current £5.70 to park between three and four hours in a short stay car park – a 42.5 per cent drop.

• £3.50, instead of £4.30 (23 per cent less), to park between two and three hours

• £7.50, down from £28.70 (283 per cent drop), to park for eight hours in order to support new and existing employers in the town centre

The first hour of parking in the town centre would increase to £2.50, remaining highly competitive with neighbouring areas.

Parking fees in Old Town will be aligned with those in the town centre.

The new prices would present a clear whole pricing structure to support Swindon’s retail centres and night-time economy with simplified fees across all car parks.

Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “The Council has historically viewed car parking charges as a means of raising much-needed revenue, but we have opted to take a different approach this year.

“The proposed changes are not designed to make the Council any extra money; this is all about supporting local businesses by making it cheaper for people to park in the town centre and Old Town for longer.

“This will encourage people to stay for an extended period of time, supporting our independent shops and other retail and hospitality businesses. It is in line with our long-term Heart of Swindon vision to support the town centre’s regeneration into a place where people live, work, socialise and study.

“The proposed reduction in all-day town centre parking is significant and will make a real difference to those who work in the town centre putting more money in their pockets which they may choose to then spend in our local town centre shops.

“If we can get people spending more time in the town centre this will only help our efforts to encourage additional investment and the shops, cafes and restaurants that people want to see.”

Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “It would have been very easy to maintain the status quo and implement the standard inflationary parking charge increases, but we want to be more progressive.

“These proposals are part of improvements we are making across our parking services to make it easier and more convenient for shoppers if they choose to park in the town centre.

“This includes a new cashless payment system where drivers can use contactless and chip and pin ticket machines or a mobile app to pay for their parking, while new, clear signage will be installed in all car parks.

“We have also greatly improved facilities for bus passengers with the opening of the new Fleming Way interchange, which aims to encourage more people to leave their car at home and to pop into the town centre on public transport.”

The changes to parking charges will be discussed by councillors at next week’s Cabinet meeting (4 Feb).