Call for review of Whitchurch car park charges

The chairman of Whitchurch's Chamber of Trade has called for an urgent review into car parking charges in the town – claiming free car parks are full to bursting while others are empty.

Therese Hickland said shoppers in the town were avoiding paying the parking charges by using Tesco's White Lion Meadow car park, where the retailer had decided to scrap time limits for its customers.

Miss Hickland said that there were 'anomalies' in the parking charges strategy introduced by the unitary authority in September which was driving shoppers away from using council-run car parks.

She said: "The whole issue of car park charging is one I've already raised, pointing out several anomalies as regards the general parking structure."

Town clerk Peter Martin said 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. Members voted to keep the car park free.

Read more in the Shropshire Star