Victory as Jonstone and Renfrew car parking proposals are dumped

Motorists were set to pay up to £2.90 to leave their vehicle in either town centre, while residents and business owners were in danger of having to fork out for parking permits costing up to £50.

Thousands of people in both towns signed a petition against the proposals, repeatedly criticising the Renfrewshire Council SNP administration for not listening to the community.

Now, following a major consultation and a final presentation by council officers, SNP councillors have decided they will not support changes to parking arrangements in either town.

Allan Henderson 

Allan Henderson, chair of the Johnstone Business Consortium, welcomed the council’s U-turn.

He said: “Thank goodness for common sense. I am absolutely delighted that, after all our effort and the effort of the community council, there will be no parking charges.

“We worked very hard to make sure the council knew the town’s feeling about this and I’m glad the council has now realised the bigger picture that this would have been a disaster for Johnstone.

“Hopefully we will now see business owners get a bit of confidence back. All the effort has been worth it. I am thrilled.”

The findings of the consultation will be presented to councillors on Wednesday, August 29, but the SNP-led administration confirmed charges will not be pursued.

Business owners in particular were voicing their concerns this week after finding traders in Wirral, Merseyside, had seen their customer numbers drop by 20 per cent since the introduction of parking charges.

And up in Oban, tourism companies and small businesses had taken a real hit since the charges came in, with some considering moving out of the town.

Tom Wallace, chair of Johnstone Community Council, said: “We welcome the announcement that the administration has come to its senses and scrapped this proposal, which would have been a disaster.

“There was so much evidence coming from elsewhere that this would have been a bad move.

“The council has wasted a lot of money on this but we’re pleased they have listened.”

Councillor Andy Doig, who represents Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch, added: “I am highly delighted with this news. There was no evidence in favour of parking charges and plenty to the contrary, suggesting parking charges destroy business.

“I think the people of Johnstone made their views very clear and I am pleased they have been heard.”

The decision has also been welcomed in Renfrew, the news was equally welcome, with many community leaders insisting parking was not a major issue in the town anyway.

Cllr Bill Brown, who represents Renfrew town centre, said: “I wouldn’t say parking was a major problem in the first place. What I would say is the council should have consulted the people in the first place, rather than doing an impact assessment and then consulting people.”

Councillor Bill Brown 

Meanwhile, Mary Fee, West of Scotland MSP, said: "I am glad the SNP in Renfrewshire Council has reversed their proposals to introduce car parking charges in Renfrew.

"This would have been a disaster for local businesses and trade in the town. I have discussed this issue with many Renfrew residents and visitors who told me they would shop elsewhere if these charges were introduced."

Cllr Cathy McEwan, convener of the council’s infrastructure board and a Renfrew representative, said her SNP colleagues were satisfied the right decision has been made.

She added: “When these proposals were first put forward for consultation, we stated they would clearly need to demonstrate the benefit to local communities.

“Based on the information we have and the feedback received locally, there is no clear consensus for the introduction of parking charges in Johnstone and Renfrew.”

Councillor Emma Rodden

Cllr Emma Rodden, also of the SNP who represents Johnstone North and surrounding villages, said: “Residents of Johnstone and Renfrew can be confident we listened to all the opinions expressed.”

 We are thankful to everyone who engaged with us during the consultation.”