LISTEN: "Free after three" parking decision delayed in Elgin
A decision on whether to continue free late afternoon parking in two Elgin multi-storey car parks has been deferred.
A decision on whether to continue free late afternoon parking in two Elgin multi-storey car parks has been deferred.
The initiative – which ran for seven months on a trial basis – will now form part of a much wider review of parking in the town.
The review was approved by councillors in December as part of plans to develop a parking strategy for Elgin.
The Free After 3 trial ran from June until January this year at the St Giles and Batchen Lane multi-storeys and followed a request from the Elgin Business Improvement District (BID) which believed it would help stimulate retail activity in the town centre.
Gill Neil is the manager of Elgin BID:
The council’s economic development and infrastructure services committee was told today that both car parks had been significantly busier during the trial period and that the scheme had been well received by town centre shops and businesses.
However, the trial had cost the council nearly £17,000 in lost revenue over the seven months, equivalent to £30,000 in a full year.
And although feedback from the Elgin BID had shown popular support for the scheme, it was not possible to calculate its true value in terms of economic impact.
Councillor Fiona Murdoch, seconded by Councillor Allan Wright, moved that the Free After 3 scheme should not be reintroduced.
Here's what Cllr. Wright had to say to MFR News:-
However, the motion was defeated seven votes to six by an amendment from Councillor Pearl Paul, seconded by Councillor Gordon McDonald, that a decision be deferred pending the outcome of the wider parking review.
A second amendment from Councillor John Divers, backed by Councillor Graham Leadbitter, which would have seen the scheme reintroduced for a further 12 months, was also defeated.