WESTBURY on Trym has seen off the threat of charges at the Westbury Hill car park.
Bristol City Council decided two years ago to bring in a £1 an hour pay-and-display system but did not implement it before the local elections in May. The idea has now been thrown out by councillors under the committee system adopted by the new administration.
It had been opposed by councillors past and present from the Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Labour parties and by residents, concerned about the impact on the surgery, churches and businesses in Westbury.
Dozens of objections to the charges, which were under discussion as part of a wider package of measures, were presented to the transport and connectivity policy committee.
Steve Smith, a former Conservative councillor for Westbury, told the meeting: “Every single one describes the damage this will cause to Westbury village.”
The four Green councillors on the committee supported the charges but were defeated by the five members of other parties.
Councillors vote down car park charges
The threat of charges at a number of council-run car parks in Bristol has been lifted after councillors voted against plans to bring in a pay-and display system.
The 5-4 decision at the transport and connectivity policy committee means the city council will have to find other ways to make up the £276,000 a year it spends to keep district car parks free.
The vote has been particularly welcomed in Westbury-on-Trym, where many locals had raised concerns about how £1-an-hour charges at the Westbury Hill car park would affect local businesses as well as users of the neighbouring health centre and churches.
The committee also voted down a bid to end the 30-minute free parking offered in all Residents Parking Scheme areas and decided to increase RPS fees.
The proposals were all part of a package of transport measures considered by the committee at its meeting on September 12. Members agreed to begin looking at the introduction of a workplace parking levy, as well as investigating pavement parking and supported bus services. They also supported plans to develop a new Regional Cycling Hub in Lawrence Weston
Westbury Hill is one of 10 free car parks across the city, which would have become pay and display. Liberal Democrat Cllr Caroline Gooch, representing Westbury, told the meeting: “The car park in Westbury-on-Trym serves the doctor’s surgery. It would be the only surgery where people have to pay to attend, were it to be implemented. It also serves two churches and a community centre, with lots of community groups attended by children, the elderly and the lonely.
“Most churches and community centres have their own parking. But in Westbury-on-Trym, both the churches and the community centre, and the doctors and the pharmacy all use this particular car park. We’re worried about moving parking over onto the street, or people deciding to shop elsewhere. Cribbs Causeway is only six minutes away, and Aldi and Lidl are close by.”
The charges at district car parks were initially proposed by the Labour administration in February this year, before the local elections in May when they lost power to the Greens. Labour were persuaded by the Conservatives to defer the introduction of the proposed charges for a year, and in return the Tories voted to support the rest of the administration’s budget proposals.
The other car parks that would have been affected are: Beechwood Road in Frome Vale; Callington Road and Repton Road in Brislington; Chalks Road and Derby Street in St George; Ducie Road in Lawrence Hill; Machin Road in Henbury; Stoke View Road in Eastville; and Waverley Road in Shirehampton.
Many members of the public wrote to the committee opposing the proposed increases. The majority of these were specifically about the Westbury Hill car park.
Speaking to the committee, Steve Smith, a former Conservative councillor for Westbury, said: “You have before you 54 statements that have come from residents, businesses, churches, the health centre, voluntary organisations, community groups, current councillors and former councillors. Not one of them thinks this will provide a benefit.Every single one describes the damage this will cause to Westbury village.”
The four Green councillors on the committee supported the charges but were defeated by the other parties.
Afterwards, Green group leader Cllr Emma Edwards said the decision showed the value of the democratic committee system.
“I am in favour of exploring all options that can reduce congestion, improve air quality and raise money to improve transport for everyone in our city, so I’m disappointed that some of these changes were not passed. However, as I have said before, no one party has a monopoly on good ideas and that’s exactly what the committee system aims to utilise. We will now continue working cross party and with the communities that we serve, to make up the £276,000 a year that the council spends on keeping district car parks free in another way to make sure we balance the budget in the best interests of the people of Bristol.
Meeting report by Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service
‘Don’t harm our community’
Westbury on Trym Society outlined its objections to the proposed parking charges, and it seems the views were heeded …
The Society has submitted a strong objection to this, not just from the point of view of Westbury, but from a consideration of the wider impacts. Our objection is that no account has been taken of the economic and social consequences at a time when all the district centres affected are struggling, particularly the independent shops, of which Bristolians are so proud.
Shoppers in the Westbury village catchment area have a choice of other places to shop with ample free parking – Cribbs Causeway or to the discount Aldi and Lidi stores in Southmead and Henbury. The charges proposed are bound to impact on the large range of independents in Westbury on Trym, who need shoppers from a wider catchment area. They stand to lose as car borne shoppers visit less frequently.
To assess the harm charging would cause in Westbury on Trym, last year surveys were undertaken of the number of vehicles and length of time they park, where they had come from and the reasons people use the car park.
We found very little abuse of the 3 hour limit, with 92% of users actually staying for 2 hours or less. One of the key reasons given for charging is to make the turnover of spaces more efficient. We found it is already highly efficient. Allowing stays of 4 hours would be counter-productive as more spaces could be taken up by long stayers.
Our survey of users in June 2023 found that the main purpose of using the Westbury Hill car park was to access the medical centre (28.1%), followed by visiting the banks (24.6%) and then shopping (24%). At the time the survey was undertaken Westbury still had the presence of three high street banks, hence the high proportion of users of the car park giving this as the prime reason for coming to Westbury. Since then Barclays and NatWest have closed their doors and shopkeepers have reported that trade has reduced noticeably in the mornings since their closure.
When asked what those users would do if charges are introduced, nearly a quarter said they would try to park on street. 18% said they would go elsewhere for shopping or services and 19% would visit less frequently, which would be extremely bad for trade in the village. The rationale behind the charges is that it will lead to car users changing their behaviour. There are plenty of competing shopping centres and stores with no parking charges and, with over half of car park users coming from outside BS9, it is far more likely that they will go elsewhere, especially given the limited public transport.
If drivers seek to find free parking on street as suggested, the Society considers this will create additional and potentially dangerous traffic movements by those trying to find a space on the streets, which are already busy.
The Westbury Primary Care Centre (PCC) is situated in the car park and is worried about the impact of charges on patients attending appointments, leading to requests for more GP home visits, adding further pressure to an already over-stretched service. The council has indicated an intention to offer annual parking permits for PCC staff in the car park, but the PCC fears that could take up a large proportion of total spaces at the expense of other users.
Aside from the business and health centre issues, the car park provides for the meetings and classes in the Methodist church hall, the Parish Church and Village Hall. The Methodist church has a multitude of daytime classes and community activities, such as the Ukranian hub, the Country Market and the Friendly club for elderly people, run by volunteers.
The Society believes the introduction of car park charges is ill considered and will not lead to any substantive change in travel behaviour, but rather will lead to serious consequences for local shops and the community.