Free parking returns after Whitchurch Council mistake
Free parking has returned to parts of Whitchurch because of a council gaffe and a supermarket deciding to scrap time limits at its car park. Free parking has returned to parts of Whitchurch because of a council gaffe and a supermarket deciding to scrap time limits at its car park. Red-faced Whitchurch Town Council members have admitted they allocated £30,000 of regeneration cash from public funds to create a 34-space traders' only car park in Mill Street – only to later learn they have no legal power to charge people to park on the land. Elsewhere, Tesco has done away with time limits for customers using its White Lion Meadow car park. It means motorists now have two central locations where they can park without paying.[24link]
Free parking has returned to parts of Whitchurch because of a council gaffe and a supermarket deciding to scrap time limits at its car park.
Red-faced Whitchurch Town Council members have admitted they allocated £30,000 of regeneration cash from public funds to create a 34-space traders' only car park in Mill Street – only to later learn they have no legal power to charge people to park on the land.
Elsewhere, Tesco has done away with time limits for customers using its White Lion Meadow car park.
It means motorists now have two central locations where they can park without paying, despite cash-strapped Shirehall leaders imposing new charges in the town just weeks ago in a bid to boost revenue.
The details emerged at a meeting of Whitchurch Town Council.
Town clerk Peter Martin said for legal reasons the only way the town council could charge motorists to park would be to create a by-law through the courts at a cost of up to £10,000.
