Tourists visiting a famous seaside town will have to shell out more money as the parking charges near the popular destination are all set to increase. Charges will be hiked up at two multi-storey car parks in Blackpool, as well as along the Promenade and in parts of South Shore.
As per the new charges, parking at the town centre will cost £4.50, up from £3.50, with eight-hour stays increasing from £11 to £12. Increased charges on the Promenade, Watson Road and Bond Street will see the price for two hours going up to £3 from £2.50, the BBC reports.
Blackpool Council said it would “invest in improved parking”, however, the move has been highly criticised by a conservative opposition councilor. The seaside town attracts almost 20 million visitors a year.
The council announced its decision to refrain from implementing a broad-scale price hike but rather concentrate on regions experiencing significant demand.
The pricing adjustments will align the fees at the Talbot Road and West Street multi-storey car parks with those established for the forthcoming 1,306-space multi-storey car park set to open on the city’s Central Drive by Easter.
A council report said the increases would “offset some of the significant costs incurred for the continued upgrade of the parking infrastructure”, reported BBC.
It added: “Any wide-scale increases at this point are more likely to result in a downturn in patronage and could harm town centre trading and tourism recovery plans.”
A Conservative opposition councillor warned the increases would be bad news for some businesses.
Councillor Diane Mitchell, who represents the Waterloo ward, said: “This is a poor decision by the Labour-run council to increase charges yet again. Businesses in the Bond Street and Waterloo Road area are already struggling with difficulties around parking.
“This will only make the situation worse and drive business away from our brilliant local businesses, B&Bs and shops.”
