‘We will be fighting it,’ says St Giles’ Street business ‘disgusted’ by council proposal for parking increases

A St Giles’ Street business owner, who is “disgusted” by West Northamptonshire Council’s proposal to scrap free weekend town centre parking and increase all hourly rates, has spoken out as part of Chronicle & Echo’s campaign.

Liz Cox, owner of The Eccentric Englishman, has been trading on the street in her quirky cafe and bar for more than a year.

During that time, she has already had to contend with the rising cost of living, decreased footfall in the town, and now the prospect of losing even more custom if the increased town centre parking goes ahead.

Talking to this newspaper, Liz said: “It’s hard enough that this town doesn’t offer free parking during the week like so many surrounding areas.

“No free parking over the Christmas period had a huge impact. Our town centre is one of the most extortionate places to park and has such an out of date system.”

The business owner says The Eccentric Englishman is well on its way to becoming a destination venue, as they welcome people from all over the country.

During the festive season, the team welcomed someone who came specifically to visit them from Cumbria – but they were “disgusted” that you could not park on the street for more than two hours for free on a Saturday.

“If people know they have parking charges, they won’t come for an afternoon tea,” said Liz. “It’s not possible to do it in under two hours, and the parking charges stop people from staying longer and enjoying themselves.”

Liz spoke of how her customers tell her they rarely come into the town centre and they come especially to visit the cafe.

She questioned: “Why can’t we just be like the other areas nearby who have more to offer and either don’t charge for parking, or charge less?”

Another struggle The Eccentric Englishman has faced is finding a good workforce, particularly in hospitality – which is not helped by “having to pay a fortune for parking”.

Liz herself pays £70 per week to park and if this continues, she says she will have no choice but to close earlier.

The proposed increases come just before major works are set to begin across different areas of the town centre – including the Market Square, Abington Street, Fish Street and the former M&S and BHS buildings.

Liz said: “The timing of the whole thing is just ridiculous. We’re succeeding in bringing more people to the town centre, and all the work will be for nothing if this plan goes ahead.”

The venue even had someone from North Carolina visit recently, as the hotel they were staying at recommended The Eccentric Englishman.

Liz pointed that visitor in the direction of more places to try in the town after leaving there, as it is all about lifting other businesses up too.

The business owner “totally backs” Steffans’ petition for West Northamptonshire Council to abort its plans.

“We’re all in this together and we will be fighting it,” she said.

To visit and sign the petition before it is too late, click here – and you can find out more about West Northamptonshire Council’s plans here.