Council-owned car parks in Fraserburgh and Banff are to keep their free spaces – with plans to enforce charges axed in a bid to boost the town centres.
Members of the Banff and Buchan area committee unanimously refused the proposals for the Hanover Street and St Mary’s facilities.
Their decision comes just weeks after their Garioch counterparts caused anger by voting to scrap free parking at Inverurie’s Burn Lane car park.
Axing free parking was one of many plans formed earlier this year in a bid to plug a £35.45 million black hole in the council’s finances.
Officers argued the charges were needed to cover the upkeep of car parks across the region.
But locals got to have their say first…
Residents voiced their opposition over removal of free parking
One local objector that they worked in Banff and relied on the free spaces in St Mary’s car park.
Their letter stated: “Having to pay for parking will cost me £25 per week which I cannot afford.
“I’ve spent time looking for an alternative place to park and there is scant availability.
“It will be practically non-existent once all the people who work in and around the area start parking in the streets.”
Meanwhile, another feared the change would put people off from visiting Banff.
They said: “Being able to park easily to visit any town always makes it a pleasant place to remember, with more likelihood of returning.
“Encouraging visitors surely has to be beneficial for the town.”
What did councillors say about Banff and Fraserburgh parking fees?
Committee members didn’t believe they had enough information to prove that the parking charges would be financially beneficial for the council.
Councillor John Cox noted that currently, any free spaces in the St Mary’s facility are typically full while those in pay and display areas are empty.
“That would potentially indicate that the car park will be empty and we won’t get that revenue,” he said.
The Banff member also welcomed the long-awaited opening of budget retailer Aldi in Macduff, but issued a stark warning to his colleagues.
“We’ve had the fortune of Aldi opening which is brilliant for the local community but that has the knock-on effect that there will be less people in Banff.”
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Councillor James Adams feared removing the free spaces in Fraserburgh’s Hanover car park would not be a popular move.
He said: “The free spaces are full but the rest of the car park is looking sparse.
“We’ve had business owners tell us that there has been a drastic fall in people visiting, to go ahead with this will aggravate an already tense situation.”
And councillor Ross Cassie added: “There is no evidence this will benefit anyone.
“This strikes me as an exercise that will gain absolutely nothing other than a lot of angry residents.”
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