A controversial parking company is making people 'terrified' to come to Liscard town centre, according to a local business owner.
Rebecca Lowe, who runs Flower Flies Florist in the Wirral town, made the comments in a plea to Wirral Council’s Planning Committee to not give Smart Parking permission to operate a number of cameras and signs in the Liscard town centre car park it operates. Smart Parking took over the operation of Liscard’s Cherry Tree Shopping Centre car park last summer, something which has generated huge controversy with dozens taking to social media to complain about fines they have been given.
Last October, it emerged the operator does not have planning permission for some of the cameras and signs it is using to manage the Liscard car park. Today, Smart Parking was applying for retrospective approval.
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After hearing passionate pleas against the plan from local business owners and ward councillors, who said the firm was harming the town centre, the committee chose to defer making a decision to allow Smart Parking to come up with a plan to manage the car park in a better way. All six Labour councillors voted against the decision to defer, after Cllr Paul Stuart, one of its members, moved a motion to refuse the application.
But four Conservatives, along with a Green councillor and the Liberal Democrat chair of the committee, who gave a casting vote, ensured the decision was deferred. Since Smart Parking started running the car park, it has been hated by many motorists, with large numbers of people accusing it of issuing unfair fines and making it difficult for blue badge holders to navigate a complex system for registering their status.
Smart Parking has previously said it was brought in to manage the car park for one simple reason, to stop “endemic parking abuse”, and that the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) camera system has successfully stopped the parking abuse.
But at tonight’s meeting, Ms Lowe said she was speaking on behalf of 30 business owners in Liscard. She said she was aware some older customers were hesitant to return to the town centre as they were worried about getting a fine through the post.
Ms Lowe claimed the parking attendant was not easy to find when people needed help and had even hidden at times. She said the problems Smart Parking has caused have led to two local businesses closing.
Conservative councillor Kathy Hodson asked if it was the issue of entering the car registration number into the system that was causing a problem. Ms Lowe said this was a problem and she had been out to help disabled and elderly people loads of times.
She added some customers were “absolutely terrified” to come to the town centre after receiving a fine. Liscard councillor Daisy Kenny, who represents Labour, said the 1,100 signatures a petition against Smart Parking, plus objections from residents and businesses, showed the strength of feeling on this issue.
She said these cameras are “damaging our community” and there has been a 30% or more reduction in income received by local businesses since the cameras and signs have been in operation.
Cllr Kenny added signs which do not clearly instruct people were an extra step for disabled people accessing the service which went against the Equality Act. Cllr Janette Williamson, the Labour leader of Wirral Council, said she felt the fines regime imposed by Smart Parking amounted to a “theft” on businesses and residents and that Smart Parking undermined plans to regenerate Liscard.
Fraser Richards, from Smart Parking, said the cameras, signs and pay and display machines are designed to deter motorists who intend to misuse the car park. Mr Richards said Smart Parking’s system benefits the town by ensuring a higher turnover of motorists, allowing more people to visit the town centre and help local businesses thrive.
Mr Richards added other similar applications in Wirral had been approved and that parking attendants were there to help ensure blue badge holders were not fined. He also said more than 2,000 fines had been cancelled since the company took over the Liscard car park and that while new technology can cause problems and frustration, Smart Parking was trying to make the experience as seamless as possible.
To this end, Mr Fraser said the company had installed new pay and display machines to facilitate easier payment. As for any downturn in trade, he said this was due to the current economic climate rather than Smart Parking and was something many town centres were experiencing.
A council officer reminded the committee that they should only reject the application for material planning reasons and Cllr Stuart’s reason that the “vitality” of the town centre was harmed by this application would need to be backed up by evidence for the council to stand a chance of having its decision upheld on appeal.
Ultimately, the committee voted to defer making a decision, meaning the application should come back to another planning meeting in which the plan will be either accepted or rejected.
