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Conservatives plan to charge for parking at out-of-town retail centres

4:00pm Wednesday 12th September 2007

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TORIES are proposing charging shoppers to park at out-of-town retail centres.

The idea could have a big impact on shoppers who regularly use shopping centres at Clifton Moor and Monks Cross, in York, but would, say Conservatives, benefit the environment and boost city centre businesses.

Under the plans, councils would be given the power to demand that big supermarkets and other shops on the outskirts of towns charge their customers for parking.

The proposals, in the Conservative Party's quality of life national policy review, will be published tomorrow.

To deflect expected criticism from out-of-town shoppers, the review claims charges would be no greater than the amount people would pay in, for example, York city centre.

The money raised by the new charges would be used by the local authority to fund improved public transport.

Ian Gillies, leader of the Conservatives on City of York Council, said: "Out-of-town shopping areas such as Monks Cross, Clifton Moor, and York Designer Outlet are successful due to the convenience factor of parking, particularly for families.

"We must also protect our city centre which is the lifeblood of York, and any monies levied on out of town facilities, in addition to green issues, should be used to subsidise car park charges in the city centre to encourage people to shop at our independent shops and markets as an alternative to the big multiples."

But Colin Wilding, general manager of York Designer Outlet, said: "In the interests of our customers, we would strongly resist any enforced parking charges at York Designer Outlet.

"Our aim is to offer convenience and excellent value for money - obviously parking charges are not conducive to either.

"The suggestion also ignores the benefits that out of town retailing brings, helping to reduce city centre congestion and spreading the impact of retail traffic.

"This is a serious issue in York and we work with City of York Council to offer a Park&Ride service that runs every day from 7am and is designed to ease congestion in the city and promote the use of public transport."

Katherine Sharp, centre manager at Monks Cross Shopping Park, said: "If this legislation comes from Government and is applied to out-of-town shopping centres and did apply to us we would deal with it when it comes about.

"However, I don't think it would really affect our business."

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Your Say YourYork Press

Geoff, says...
4:04pm Wed 12 Sep 07

Un-bloody-believable
!
A tax on out of town shopping!

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X, At Work says...
4:09pm Wed 12 Sep 07

If plans go ahead, we will pay to DRIVE in the city centre Park in the city centre an PAY to park at clifton moor/monks cross!!!

just a note to the residents of Clifton moor/Huntington. Beware, if this goes ahead the only managable way of stopping folk parking near your houses would be residents parking(no doubt at a cost)

its unreal

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jaycee, york says...
4:09pm Wed 12 Sep 07

one party is thinking of a congestion charge for travelling in the city,one charging for out of town shopping.No wonder people shop on line these days.Lets all stay at home and become totally antisocial !

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Rust_Never_Sleeps, says...
4:11pm Wed 12 Sep 07

Won't happen. There is no way a private business can be forced to charge customers for parking on private land.

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Nonsense, York says...
4:16pm Wed 12 Sep 07

A good suggestion. Unfortunately it's too late. This sort of policy needed to be enacted in the 1980s when green issues were at their peak and when most of the out of town shopping centres were being built or planned. Thesedays cars and free out of town parking is too embedded in the psyche of people for it to be seen as anything but an extreme measure.

It would also probably not be that efficient. We simply have overpopulation in too many areas with inadequate infrastructure.

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Jason, says...
4:23pm Wed 12 Sep 07

As a minority party they can propose what they like, It wont happen.

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ALD, York says...
4:24pm Wed 12 Sep 07

What nonsense to even think about it.
Where in the city centre can you find the range of shops that are in the retail parks?
Most of them these days are tourist traps, coffee shops etc.

Report this post »

Jo, York says...
4:33pm Wed 12 Sep 07

So the Conservative Party are now more left-wing than even the Green Party.

I'm flabbergasted.

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Peenjay, Fromere says...
4:37pm Wed 12 Sep 07

Liiike!......Who are these People?

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Peenjay, Fromere says...
4:39pm Wed 12 Sep 07

...And where do they come from?
Are thes the People who believe that they were born to rule or just another piece of ....?

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Yorkenstein, York says...
4:44pm Wed 12 Sep 07

pants.

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Barry Bethal, says...
5:09pm Wed 12 Sep 07

Get f**ked.

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bernard, says...
5:32pm Wed 12 Sep 07

These will be the out of town shopping centres built when they were in power.....

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Bemused, says...
5:48pm Wed 12 Sep 07

charges would be no greater than the amount people would pay in, for example, York city centre.

A rip off then? This just won't happen.

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Peter, york says...
5:59pm Wed 12 Sep 07

If this came in more people would want to park in York yet the council is constantly building on car parks, it' a recipe for chaos. The tories have come up with another idea that's as good as the Poll Tax !!!

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Gardener, York says...
7:49pm Wed 12 Sep 07

So all that will happen is people will shop online and have groceries delivered, and the people that will suffer will be those without or unwilling to use a PC! York centre will still be shops catering to tourists and out of town shopping centres will become warehouses.

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Gardener, York says...
8:04pm Wed 12 Sep 07

They're just feeding Chief Clansman Broon ideas!

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KD, YORK says...
10:37pm Wed 12 Sep 07

Bloomin great! I live right behind Monks Cross and already have to put up with ignorant people parking outside my house all day - obviously unable to park where they work due to the already imposed time restrictions on the shopping park itself...charge the shoppers and they'll do exactly the same - perhaps us residents will just get a pile of shi*e dropped on us soon to boot...oh no we already have, it's called the Range!

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oaklander, York says...
1:31pm Thu 13 Sep 07

Another amusing foot in the mouth comment of the Conservatice Party! you will probably see that useless tosser David 'i wish i was prime minister' Cameron proposing this in the commons some time soon. I thought these people wanted to get back into power not scare voters away.

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onlooker, alaska says...
1:03am Sat 15 Sep 07

As 'Rust' said earlier, owners of private land cannot normally be forced to charge for parking on it (ie. one's driveway). But is Clifton Moor or Monks Cross privately owned or leased? And if private, what covenants apply?

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onlooker, alaska says...
1:03am Sat 15 Sep 07

As 'Rust' said earlier, owners of private land cannot normally be forced to charge for parking on it (ie. one's driveway). But is Clifton Moor or Monks Cross privately owned or leased? And if private, what covenants apply?

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A full car park at Monks Cross shopping centre A full car park at Monks Cross shopping centre

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