IS PAYING for car parking putting people off going shopping in Monmouthshire’s high streets?

This is the question that the Free Press is putting forward to shoppers, residents, town council members and county councillors.

Many people across Monmouthshire have said that car park charges put them off shopping locally, or those that are free are usually free for a limited amount of time, leaving them struggling to actually spend a decent amount of time in their town centres.

Several Chepstow shoppers and traders have voiced their concerns about the parking problems in the town centre.

Some spoke about the 'unfair' car parking sites surrounding the high street, which they feel 'overcharge' for short-stays.

This also includes free car parking for a short space of time in supermarket car parks such as Tesco.

One woman, who does not wish to be named, who shops at Runaway Fashion in Chepstow, mentioned that she doesn’t feel she has adequate time to shop without paying.

She also said that some people, such as elderly residents, might not want to do the walk across the bypass to Tesco to get to the high street.

Cllr Paul Pavia, the mayor of Chepstow, said he believes that parking prices are not extremely high, but need to be looked at.

He said: “In terms of pricing charges, I wouldn’t say they are punitive but we have to look at all opportunities to make our high streets appealing and attractive for shoppers to come and spend a good amount of time and money in them.”

But Mr Pavia believes it is important that if car parks do charge, the money from the charges is reinvested into the high streets and town centres.

Mr Pavia said: “Councils should be open about how much they collect in metered revenue and fines and publish that information. If they can demonstrate they are re-investing that money in our high streets, then paying a small parking charge is justified.”

However, business owner Dave Foxford-Brown, who owns the Coach and Horses and Poppie’s Café, said he thinks the problems with Chepstow’s high street isn’t down to car parking charges.

He said: “It isn’t down to the car parking charges at the end of the day, it’s down to the fact that there isn’t really enough going on in Chepstow to draw people into the high street.

“I personally think that parking charges are really good and £4 for 24 hours’ worth of parking isn’t bad at all.”

Deputy leader of Monmouthshire County Council, Phil Hobson, said the council is constantly reviewing parking charges across the county, but after recent reviews, it found that free parking would hinder more than help residents.

He said: “It’s a very complex issue and we’ve had several reviews looking into the charges.

“We found that if we left car parks with no charges, that people would park there early on in the morning and would be there all day, so anyone coming into the town wouldn’t be able to find a space.

“If we didn’t charge we wouldn’t have what we call a turnover of car parking spaces, and that would be a real concern.”

However, Mr Hobson did say that the council are regularly reviewing the use of public car parks, their prices and the facilities within them (ticket machines, maintenance etc).

Have you been affected by car parking in the city centre or do you think the prices are affecting your high street? Call 01633 777248 or tweet @ArgusNGriffiths