THE FUTURE OF THE HIGH STREET
People are key to the high street succeeding
All arguments point to the need to encourage greater footfall into town or city centres or risk them dying. Looking simply at a town centre as a leisure destination – other pages in this magazine will consider the need for diversification to other uses – let’s examine the true costs of getting into town. Either public transport has to encourage us to leave the car at home, or parking has to be affordable and attractive enough to get people to eschew out of town options and head to the centre. Let’s work out the cost of a family of four getting into and out of the town centre from suburban Cheltenham or Gloucester by public transport. In Gloucestershire, much as in most of the country, that is done by bus. The cost for that family of four for a daily bus ticket is £13. For all the talk of modal shift, especially by Cheltenham Borough Council, taking the bus is not a cheap endeavour. So most of us choose to park, because it is cheaper to get your family of four in the car and park than it is to go by bus. Parking charges vary massively depending on where you are in the county. You can park all day in Cinderford, Coleford or Lydney for the cost of one hour at some Cheltenham town centre car parks. The table on the page shows the varying costs by area – it doesn’t show how costs can change in individual car parks in each area, so we’ve always used the lowest fee charged for fairness. the
Local Authority
1 hour 2 hours 4 hours All day
Cheltenham
£1.50
£2.90
£4.50
£8.00
Gloucester
£1.40
£2.30
£4.50
£6.00
Stroud
£0.80
£1.40
£2.10
£3.00
Tewkesbury
£1.00
£2.00
-
£4.00
Forest of Dean
-
£0.20
£0.80
£1.60
Cotswolds
£1.30
£2.30
£3.90*
£6.50
All are lowest costs for town/city centre parking, some car parks charge more *Cotswold District Council operate a five-hour rate instead of four Most councils are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to parking charges. The simple fact is that it is still cheaper for a family of four to drive and park than it is to take the bus. All local authorities want their town centres to be vibrant and attractive places that add value to the area and which promote the local economy. But they also have to balance that desire with the fact that all are under pressure to reduce carbon emissions and encourage public transport and, crucially, raise funds to offset budget cuts elsewhere. Significant profits are made each year on council- owned car parks. We know, because the authorities publish the figures. is OUT February 2020 PUNCHLINE ANNUAL
Authority
Parking receipts
Costs
Profit
Cheltenham Starting a business in 2020? £4,305,481 Gloucester £2,401,000 Stroud £933,228 £522,549 Tewkesbury £716,170 £244,318 Forest of Dean £130,363 £216,798 Cotswold £2,426,014
£3,245,575 £1,059,906
£1,293,000 £1,108,000
£410,679
£471,852
-£86,435
£1,063,486 £1,362,528
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86 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com
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