Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council is seeking to involve the community in helping to decide the future provision of car parking in the town. Eddie McGrath, the Council’s Engineering Services Manager said, "The Council recognises that many people have views on parking, some of them strongly held and widely conflicting and the Council is, therefore, anxious to hear from all interested parties".

Mr McGrath said, "Over the past few years the Council had provided additional car parking space at St. Austin’s, The Tannery (Sixth Form College), and The Strand, Telephone House. These had been provided in response to the Council’s policy of retaining the number of car parking spaces within the river loop that existed prior to the demolition of the St. Austin’s multi–storey car park. In respect of The Tannery and The Strand it was also a pragmatic use of sites where future development was not yet fully resolved". The provision of these car-parking spaces, he said, "had been generally welcomed by traders and users".

The Council is now looking to the longer term, and is attempting to develop a strategy to secure the ongoing viability and vitality of the town centre, and to provide relatively easy and inexpensive access for all. Mr McGrath said, "The problems that needed to be addressed are how to do this without causing serious congestion, damaging air–quality and encouraging sustainable forms of transport while recognising that in a rural county like Shropshire car dependence is for some an unavoidable reality". He added, "The importance of maintaining a sensible balance so that people are not driven to shop elsewhere was also an issue very much in the mind of the Council".

A detailed report has been prepared setting out details of provision, usage costs, links with Park and Ride, survey results and a range of other information which will form the background for decision making. This will be available on the Council’s website and in hard copy on request. However, abridged editions of the report are also being prepared for consultation purposes, and which will ask a series of questions to determine views. Consultations will take place during August and September, with a report to Council later in the autumn.

Councillor D. Roberts, Portfolio Holder for Parking and Transport said: "This is a big issue which affects everyone, and we need to get it right to ensure that we keep Shrewsbury a vital and thriving town. Everyone has views on car parking and it impacts on people in many different ways – so please let us have your thoughts"…

For more information on this subject, please contact:
Eddie McGrath, Engineering Services Manager
Telephone: 01743 281123
Email: eddie.mcgrath@shrewsbury.gov.uk

Any new car parks must be outside the river loop so that cars won't need to drive even over the bridges into the town centre. I would also like to see more pedestrianised streets in the town - such as Mardol.