Cumbria council set to restrict on-street parking in Carlisle city centre on Sundays

Cumbria County Council wants to extend the city centre’s disc parking restrictions in response to what officials say is “growing concern” over unrestricted Sunday parking.

The proposals have already triggered a spate of objections from the city’s businesses community, who fear limiting free on-street Sunday parking to an hour will drive shoppers away.

One clergyman has also voiced his concern, saying the hour restriction could cause problems for churchgoers.

The council’s highways and transport working group has reviewed city centre parking, and its proposals will be considered by senior councillors at a meeting next Tuesday.

The suggested changes, proposed for the city centre area known as Zone C, includes imposing a one hour limit for all disc controlled parking bays between 11am and 5pm.

The zone covers the city centre between West Walls and Spencer Street and between Castle Way and Crown Street.

The area’s on-street parking bays currently allow for an hour’s free daytime disc-controlled parking but only from Monday to Saturday.

There is presently no city centre restriction on Sundays.

A Cumbria County Council spokesman said that most local authorities in the UK had already introduced seven day parking restrictions because of the impact of Sunday trading.

He said: “When we inherited parking back in 2001 [from Carlisle City Council], at that time there were no trading hours on a Sunday.

“The need to have parking restrictions on Sundays didn’t affect businesses because there were no businesses open on a Sunday.

“A lot has changed since then. Everybody goes to town on a Sunday, hence there is greater competition for car parking spaces in Zone C which is exclusively city centre.

“There is also a high number of residential properties as well.

“Cumbria remains one of a handful of local authorities that do not charge for resident parking permits’ or similar.

“We are certain the majority of Zone C residents will be in favour of the restrictions, because it means they are more likely to be able to park outside their own properties”

The proposals follow talks with residents and businesses in Zone C last October. The Council’s Carlisle Local Committee is being urged to approve putting the proposals out for informal consultation with locals businesses and residents.

The reaction among city centre businesses was almost emphatically negative.

Steve Matthews, from Bookends in Castle Street, said the proposed restriction was unnecessary.

He said: “They’re jumping the gun because Sundays haven’t become that busy yet. Sundays are a sensitive time in that it’s still building up. The city needs to be as welcoming as possible, and putting in unnecessary parking restrictions is not very welcoming.”

Helen Barnes, from Verve Hair, in Cecil Street, said: “It will stop people coming to Carlisle at weekends.

“Parking in Carlisle should be changed totally because a lot of people are going elsewhere – to places like Gretna Gateway, or the Metro Centre in Newcastle – because there’s free parking. More restrictions will be bad for business.”

Louise O’Brien, from The Bed Shop on Victoria Viaduct, said: “It’ll make people want to avoid coming to the city.”

Concern was also expressed by The Rev Keith Teasedale, of St Cuthbert’s Church near the city centre. He said: “It will create problems. People come to Carlisle for all sorts of reasons on Sunday. They need more than an hour.

“It will deter people from coming to the city centre; and if they want to build the local economy this goes against that. Parishoners will also struggle with it.”

The Dean of Carlisle, the Very Reverend Mark Boyling, said he was also concerned but he believed that the 11am start to the restrictions was proposed to accommodate those attending church or the cathedral.

“But it will be tight for them and they won’t be able to linger after the service,” he said, adding that he was surprised that the council felt there was sufficient traffic to merit the change.