Residents in Carlisle city centre have come out in support of the county council's plans to restrict parking in the area, saying the changes are necessary.

The council has proposed to introduce resident-only parking in the city centre.

With a formal consultation on the plans having ended on August 31, the changes could soon be put in place.

The proposals are being backed by residents living in the centre.

Two city centre residents in support of the planned changes are next door neighbours Stuart Pearce and Sheila Heap, who have lived on Chapel Street for 17 and 45 years respectively.

The small road, just off Lowther Street, is a stone's throw from The Lanes Shopping Centre, making it one of Carlisle's most central streets.

Stuart, 51, also runs the Mungo Jaxx hair salon on Chapel Street.

"Our movements are set round the parking," said Stuart.

"Parking meters for this area were scrapped as an idea a few years ago so this is the only other alternative.

"I do think the changes are necessary."

Stuart's wife Eileen is a medical education manager at the Cumberland Infirmary.

"She walks to work whenever she can because it would be too stressful trying to park after work," Stuart said.

Stuart and Eileen pay £1,000 a year to keep their car in the pay-and-display car park next to Iceland on Lowther Street, which they often have to use as they rarely manage to find a parking space on their street.

"At peak time, over Christmas and stuff you can't get parked in the pay-and-display car park either."

Sheila, aged 90, is visited by her daughter Anne every week, who drives up from her home in Lytham St Annes, near Blackpool. Her other children who live further down south also visit Sheila regularly.

"My family can't get parked when they come to visit," said Sheila.

"I've seen them going round the block eight times," Sheila continued.

"It could take them easily an hour to find a a parking space."

Stuart added: "If Anne comes and I'm parked on the street, I'll move our vehicle into our parking space behind Iceland so she can get in."

Sheila said: "When my family come they've got luggage or they bring me big loads of shopping.

"They couldn't carry all that if they had to park down by the Civic Centre, which is sometimes the only place you can get parked round here."

Stuart has long been fighting for something to be done about parking, regularly attending council meetings to put the case of city centre residents forward.

"In the last five or six years parking here has got worse," he said.

"Once, I had someone say to me why did you buy a house there if it's as bad as it is? But I bought my house here when it wasn't a problem, you could get parked."

For Stuart, the changes the council plan to introduce to city centre parking should not cause concern among anyone who relies on disabled parking when they park in the city centre.

"If you look at it properly, it is a fairer system," he said. "With the new plans for parking, disabled people are stiill accommodated.

"It's not taking the spaces away from them, because they can still park in the residents' only zone."

Stuart is keen to reassure anyone who needs disabled access that the Council's proposals for parking in the city will not negatively affect them.

"It's not discriminating against disabled people.

"They are going to be allowed to park in the residents zones, between 10am and 4pm, for up to three hours.

"In effect they're going to get more chance to park through the day, because they can park in the resident's bays."

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said: "The aims of the changes that are proposed are to improve parking opportunities for residents of the historic core who have difficulty parking anywhere in the area whenever they return to their homes."

“When the county council proposes to make any changes to the highway the needs of all highway users are considered to ensure that any measures introduced are the best balance between all demands on the highway."

The plans include creating a new zone, HC, in the city centre, inside the boundary of the original Carlisle city walls. This is a move Stuart is in favour of.

"In Chapel Street we're classed as Zone C. So we won't be able to park in Zone HC, and residents there can't park in ours, which is fair.

"At the minute I can park anywhere in the city centre. So the changes keep residents in their own zones.

"They are keeping some hour parking, but they're going to accommodate more residents."

With the changing character of the Carlisle city centre, Stuart feels it is important that resident parking issues are addressed.

"There's a few empty properties around us right now. If they're converted into housing, they've got to park here as well.

"We're going to have an even bigger issue. So that's why we're trying to get something sorted now because city centres are becoming busier as more residents are living in them."

Stuart hopes the proposed parking changes will help encourage more people to live in the city centre.

"This area has become more residential, which is nice for the city. It's lovely living in the city centre.

"Parking is the only issue here. It's a cracking street to live on. We look after each other. It's a proper community."