Stalwart business ‘disappointed’ as no free town centre parking to be offered by WNC this Christmas
A stalwart business owner has expressed her disappointment as no free town centre parking is to be offered in pay and displays owned by West Northamptonshire Council this Christmas.
It was recently announced that North Northamptonshire Council will once again provide free parking in council-owned pay and display car parks this festive season.
As part of the festivities and to support local businesses, NNC will provide free parking in Kettering and Corby town centres on the three Saturdays leading up to Christmas – December 6, 13 and 20.
When approached by the Chronicle & Echo in November, WNC confirmed that there are “currently no plans to offer free parking during the Christmas period” like their counterparts at NNC.
Business owner Julie Teckman, who founded Vintage Guru in St Giles’ Street in 2018, spoke to this newspaper about the difference that full days of free parking could make to Northampton town centre at Christmas time.
“Any offer of free parking sends a message that encourages people to shop in the town,” said Julie, who emphasised that there is even greater competition at this time of year with regular Christmas fairs taking place.
There are two hours of free parking available on Saturdays and Sundays at council-owned car parks in Northampton town centre, and visitors can stay all day for £2.20.
Despite the fact that Julie believes this is a reasonable offer for the variety in Northampton town centre, she is confident that a few days of free parking at Christmas time would make a noticeable difference.
“I’m disappointed at the lack of support,” said Julie. “It’d be nice to promote people coming into town as there’s so much competition for people’s money. They are more likely to give us a try if we had free parking, even if it was only for a few Saturdays in December.”
Julie praised the variety of Christmas activities that are being rolled out by WNC and BID, as well as the festive appearance of the town centre, but believes parking is a “deal-breaker” as to whether people visit or not.
“People need the encouragement to stay for longer than the two hours they get for free,” said Julie.
“The council needs to understand that it’s not just about the Market Square and we’re all spread out across the big town centre. Everything isn’t as contained as in other places. We feel a little bit left to our own devices.”