Lymington traders say Hampshire County Council’s on-street parking charges devastating for businesses

TRADERS calling for action to save their town centre have claimed high street parking charges are driving away their customers.

Shop owners in Lymington’s once bustling commercial centre say many of their regular customers no longer visit after Hampshire County Council introduced parking fees.

Some are struggling to make ends meet and say they have been forced to lay off staff or reduce their hours, while not taking wages themselves in a bid to keep businesses afloat.

David McConnachie, who has been running Perfumery and Co in the town for five years, said: “We now get very slow foot traffic, and we’re not seeing local people shopping.

“I hear people say all the time they would come here more often if we didn’t have these meters.”

He said many drivers find the meters problematic because they must enter their car registration details in order to buy a ticket. This is happening at a time when our business rates are doubling,” he continued.

"It’s painfully sad to see the impact of the charges. You only have to go to Bournemouth to see the effect when people don’t shop local any more.

“Lymington has been so quiet since January, even the cafes seem quieter. By my count we have 19 empty units at the moment.”

Posing for a photo in the High Street’s empty parking bays alongside fellow shopkeepers, he added: “I don't want to paint a picture that it’s miserable, but it’s sad to see the town so quiet.

“There are lots of empty parking spaces after 3pm each day, and it’s a very different picture compared to last year.”

Bev Laimbeer, who runs traditional sweet shop Truffles, told the A&T she too is concerned for the future.

“The regulars we do have coming in say they don’t come to town so much any more because of the parking charges,” she said.

“Also, the customers we do get now dash in to grab one thing and leave straight away because they’re on the clock with no time to browse - they only get 20 minutes free parking before they have to pay.”

She continued: “It’s horrendous. My business rates have more than doubled and I don't have the footfall to cover the costs.

“I’ve had to lay off a member of staff because my takings are 27% down this month.

“It’s really a dire situation. This business has been going for more than 70 years – I don’t want to be the one to lose it.

“Parking is absolutely the main issue – even if the council changed it to one hour’s free parking, that could be something to increase footfall.”

Gary Saunders, whose nautical-themed decor business Boat House 27 operates off High Street, said he is “furious” about the parking charges and their impact on trade.

“I’ve just had one of the worst weeks of trading ever in this shop’s 18-year history,” he said.

“Footfall is massively down and I’ve heard first-hand from several people they don't come to Lymington any more because of the charges – it’s too much of a flap and a pain for them.

“We’re going through a cost of living crisis, but trade is noticeably worse since the introduction of these charges.

“Nobody’s coming here any more – it’s awful. I take photos of empty parking bays when I go to do my banking once a week – at last count there were 35 empty bays.

“I also had a customer with back issues who couldn’t make it to a parking machine and back to her car before she was ticketed.

“There’s no reason for us to have ticket machines. As far as I’m aware we’re the only Forest town that does – will the county council be coming for New Milton next? Or Milford?”

He added: “It’s just a council cash cow, and feels like an extra tax on businesses when our rates and costs are already going up. The council should rip these parking machines out.

“I’ve had to reduce staffing hours and now work seven days a week to make ends meet without taking a wage – I’m living off savings to keep my business alive.”

Lymington mayor Cllr Jack Davies said: “When the county council decided to put parking meters in Lymington High Street, they promised they would use the money to invest in road maintenance – that was a lie. Our high street is still riddled with dangerous potholes.

“They also promised other towns and villages in the Forest would have parking meters too – that was also a lie. Our independent shops are at risk of closing forever because of these parking meters. The county council has betrayed us.”

A county council spokesperson responded: “On-street parking charges along Lymington High Street were increased on 10th March, with no change to the 20-minute free period which enables people to park for free to run quick errands.

“The changes were made as part of the council’s routine annual review of charges and brings the cost of on-street parking in line with other parking charges in the area, which were recently increased by the district council.

“Applying [charges] helps manage demand, discouraging a situation where there is greater pressure on some spaces, which in turn can cause congestion.”