Angry, concerned and inconvenienced is how locals in Merthyr Tydfil feel after receiving the news that its Tesco is set to lose its two-hour free parking.
A planning application has been submitted to the council by the parking management company, APCOA, to introduce new 'Park to Shop' measures.
The proposals, which have been submitted on behalf of Tesco, will allow customers to stay for up to three hours if they spend a minimum of £3 in the store. At present, shoppers are permitted to park up for two hours without charge.
Customers will be given a voucher in-store after shopping which must be scanned into one of the proposed automated ticket validation terminals in the car park.
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If the customer does not validate the parking or stay longer than three hours, a penalty charge notice of £70 will be incurred. This will be reduced to £42 if it is paid within 14 days.
The first half hour stay will not be charged to allow for short shopping trips or pick-up and drop-offs.
At present, the car park is used by many so they can access the town centre. Some locals worry the changes will decrease footfall in the town centre and affect local businesses.
However, Tesco maintains that the change will help its shoppers secure a parking spot in the busy car park.
Jillie Dean-Stross owns family-run pub, The Station Hotel, in nearby Cefn-Coed. She thinks the new measures will "destroy the town" and worries about the impact on elderly residents who use the car park.
She said: "I think it will destroy the town. Everyone is finding hard with up and coming energy and petrol prices, don’t Tesco get enough profit? And now force people to spend money in their shop. Is this really fair on the independents?
"Also What about disabled people and parents by the time they get their prams or mobility wheel chairs and scooters out? They will barely have time to go anywhere. Plus the elderly are hardly able to sprint around the high street and get back in time. Tesco are just being greedy.
"What with Covid and the A465 and A470 [roadworks] it’s just another stab in the back for the small business. The high street is struggling to survive and now this, it’s really sad. Tesco will kill all the smaller businesses in town. I won’t shop there anymore - Aldi and Farmfoods are across the road."
According to Tesco, disabled badge users can visit the customer service desk if they need longer to shop and will be allowed an exemption.
On Tuesday, WalesOnline asked locals to share their opinions of the change on social media. The post received around 70 comments, 40 reacts and was shared 130 times. Though many of the comments were against the proposals, the response was mixed.
Gareth Daniel wrote: "Will create bedlam in town with people parking all over the place just to pop to the post office etc. There’s very limited parking as it is."
While Adam Bourne also disagreed with the proposals and said: "With a town already struggling not sure why you would impose measures to make it harder and more expensive. I think given all the news around families struggling with the energy hike on April. It's not a great news story really is it."
However, others didn't seem to mind. Chris Baker wrote: "Makes sense really if less than 30 minutes it don’t matter but if it’s 31 minutes to three hours need to spend a minimum of £3 in Tesco to get out. If you’re in there longer than 30 minutes then you are definitely going to spend more than £3 anyway?"
Amelia Reaks wrote: "I see both sides to be honest but I will say the £3 'shop to park' is a bit steep for a supermarket at least. I get it if it was for an entertainment complex, you'd spend that easy but just seems a bit of a nuisance if you're genuinely only popping in for one thing. But again, I see both sides. Where do Tesco draw the line with setting the price? It's an awkward one."
A spokesperson for Tesco said: “Shoppers at our Merthyr Tydfil store have told us for some that they have found it really difficult to find parking spaces, and so we have brought in a new system to manage the car park. Shoppers are now able to park for three hours for free when they spend £3 in store and validate their parking at one of the new machines on site or at parktoshop.co.uk. We hope that the new system will make it easier for customers to find a parking space when they need one.”
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