Ashton-under-Lyne: Trade 'massively down' after parking costs treble
BBCMore than trebling parking charges in a town has led to footfall dropping dramatically, its businesses have said.
Parking prices rose across Tameside on 30 September, with the cost of three hours in some of Ashton-under-Lyne's car parks rising from £1 to £3.50.
A Freedom of Information request showed usage of Old Cross Street car park had dropped by 22%, with the majority of drivers buying one-hour tickets.
But Tameside Council said the new tariffs encouraged short stay use.
Shoppers told BBC Radio Manchester the new charges had changed the way they were shopping, with some going into the town centre less often.
They also said that when they did shop in town, they were reluctant to relax and less likely to wander around and browse, because they were watching the time.
Val Unwin, who runs Decisions Clothing on Fletcher Street, said there had "definitely" been a "reduced footfall", but the "biggest thing" was the time that people wanted to spend in the town centre.
"Shoppers are not stopping for a coffee," she said.
"They're not going for a browse in the market.
"They're determined to not pay for more than an hour in the car parks."
Cafe owner Jenny Tait, who opened Cameron's Tea and Coffee Shop on Market Avenue at the start of 2022, said the changes had "knocked us about 20% back".
"Some customers are just coming in for a cup of tea, rather than lunch, because they've got to get back to their car," she said.
"The footfall on the avenue is massively down.
"Just look outside the door and you can see there's a lot of people missing."
Spencer Grady, who owns Grade A Jewellery Repair and Design, said the car parks were now more often "empty".
"Customers are coming and running back to their cars because they've only paid for an hour," he said.
Tameside Council is about to start a redevelopment of the town centre, with the help of levelling up funds from the government.
The plans include a new canopy structure to replace the existing outdoor market stalls and a reopening of the old Ashton Town Hall, which has been closed since 2015.
A Tameside Council statement said: "We know shoppers want it to be as easy as possible for them to stop off and shop in their town centres.
"The new tariffs encourage short stay use, increasing space availability within the most sought-after spaces and discouraging long stay use in the most convenient car parks.
"This - coupled with the upgraded machines which offer a cashless option, make it convenient for shoppers to use town centre car parks and support local traders."
The council added that "while we see fluctuation in usage week on week, there is no downward trend in the data from the implementation on the tariffs to the current date".
"We will off course continue to support all our town centres, seeking investment that enables us to enhance the offer and encourage more visitors."
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]