40-year-old business brands council ‘on another planet’ for proposing town centre car parking increases

A Northampton town centre business, which has been open for 40 years, has branded West Northamptonshire Council as “on another planet” for proposing an increase to car parking charges.

Saint Gyles Jewellers, in St Giles’ Street, has seen many businesses close and struggle around them over the past four decades and believes if the plans go ahead, there is “no doubt” this would get worse.

Business owner Kathryn Ozlati said: “It’s absolute madness. Rather than any positivity being shown to us by the council, it’s negativity and we’re never going to win.

“They are short-sighted and don’t understand what they are up against. It will have a detrimental impact.”

From Kathryn’s perspective, she believes business owners have not seen any of the money made from existing parking charges reinvested in the town in a positive way.

“If we were to see a positive reinvestment, maybe we would be more forthcoming,” said Kathryn, who admitted she has no confidence in the management of the town centre.

The business owner believes the poor town centre management is already impacting Saint Gyles Jewellers, due to the “strong emphasis on night trade, eating and drinking”.

She said: “We’re already up against it.”

Talking about the council considering bulldozing the Mayorhold car park as it is underused, Kathryn labelled this a “contradiction” to their plans to increase parking charges.

“The Market Square moving to the car park in Commercial Street says everything if they don’t need that space for cars,” she said.

Saint Gyles Jewellers now hear more and more customers share the pessimistic view that there is nothing to visit the town centre for, and Kathryn believes it may be “too late to salvage” some people’s mindsets.

Kathryn is fully behind Wesley Suter’s petition and this newspaper’s campaign to stop the increases from being implemented, as it is “important everyone sticks together”.

She said: ”There has been tremendous support against the proposals, and we are tired of fighting against stupidity.”

When asked for her final words to West Northamptonshire Council, Kathryn said if she were to say what she really thought “it would not be printable”.

To sign the petition before it is too late, click here – and you can share your views directly to the council using this survey before the end of the public consultation on January 31.