Nantwich traders say lack of car parking space is hurting business

Nantwich traders say they are losing business because customers can’t find anywhere to park, writes Belinda Ryan.

Hundreds of houses are being built in the town at the same time as about 100 spaces have been lost on the unofficial car park at St Anne’s Lane, which has closed permanently.

The St Anne’s Lane site is being redeveloped after plans were passed for a riverside development including hotel, apartments and boutique shops.

Jackie O’Byrne, a stylist at Regis Hair Salon, said: “With more housing there’s not enough parking for all the clients coming to the salon so they’re struggling to park, then they end up being late, so it’s putting clients off coming into Nantwich to have their hair done.

“I’ve just lost a customer from Tarporley. A man and lady used to come in every week and they just found it too difficult to park.

“They liked coming out on a Saturday. They used the other shops in Nantwich, so we are losing business.

“The answer is more parking, more amenities for all the houses being built.

“The only good thing is a lot of people come after three so they don’t have to pay to park – there are usually spaces then.

“Saturdays, though, are the main concern.”

Would-be visitors to the town have also contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service about the lack of parking.

One gave up because all car parks were full on a Wednesday afternoon.

Businesses are also concerned they won’t be able to recruit or retain staff – not just because of the lack of parking spaces available, but the cost.

A lot of town centre workers used to use the unofficial St Anne’s car park, which was the only free car park in the town.

Regis manager Jessica Ledwards said: “We do have two parking spaces allocated out the back and we have eight staff.”

She said she definitely thought this could pose a problem with recruiting new staff.

“If they know they’ll get a certain amount for their wage and they know they’ve got to pay £15 a week for parking, when you look at that for a month and then a year it’s a lot of money for them to think about, especially with the price of everything now,” said Jessica.

“£60 a month is a lot out of your pay.”

Nantwich Cllr Peter Groves (Con), who has raised the matter with Cheshire East Council, told the LDRS: “Cheshire East are adamant there is sufficient parking in the town.

“I’m being told by residents, traders and shop owners that simply is not the case.

“We’ve now got numerous examples of where people have tried to park in the town, haven’t been able to get on to any of the car parks and they’ve either cancelled appointments or driven somewhere else.

“It’s been highlighted on the Nantwich Community Facebook page where people have written in saying they don’t come into Nantwich because they can’t be bothered trying to look for a car parking space.

“I think also business owners are concerned about the retention of staff because they’re fearful their staff are going to look elsewhere where they can work and not pay anything to park because that gives them, effectively an extra £60 a month in their pocket.”

Cllr Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) , chair of the council’s highways and transport committee, said: “This council was given the opportunity last September to review parking arrangements across the borough, with a view to ironing out some of the anomalies that existed in terms of space and charging.

“Unfortunately, those proposals were rejected by some members of the committee and the review did not progress from that point.

“However, the council acknowledges the different parking needs of each town, including Nantwich, and fresh proposals will form part of the local transport plan.

“Nantwich has a reasonable number of car parks, offering more than 600 spaces, plus a total of 32 disabled parking spaces, with two car parks – Love Lane and Snow Hill – available for long stay parking, while Snow Hill is also free after 3pm.”