Prices will be slashed this Christmas at the two main car parks in Inverness to try to entice shoppers and boost retailers.
The move follows a bruising period for traders who suffered significant traffic disruption caused by flood prevention work and two separate city centre fires over the past 18 months.
Inverness councillors yesterday agreed a one-off use of common good funds to subsidise festive parking at the Rose Street multi-storey, where the usual £1.40 two-hour charge will be slashed to 20p.
Some charges will be written off altogether by operators of the privately owned Eastgate shopping centre car park nearby.
Centre bosses joined the festive spirit yesterday announcing that their car park would be free after 5pm in the final run-up to Christmas.
City Provost Helen Carmichael said: “We have listened to businesses and understand the impact that has been felt by commerce over recent months. There has been prolonged disruption.
“We hope that by providing this temporary reduction to parking charges over the festive period it will attract shoppers to the excellent array of shops and services that the city centre, old town and Victorian Market have to offer.”
BID chairman Craig Duncan added: “We are delighted with the provost’s proposals and thank her fellow councillors for their support.”
The only spoiler was frustration among a strong contingent of Inverness councillors, unhappy that the £8,119 subsidy to fund the Rose Street deduction will come from the city’s common good fund.
Central ward member Donnie Kerr attempted to scrap the £1,500 portion that will pay for “software reconfiguration” – ticket print-out information for a handful of days over the period.
SNP group deputy leader Richard Laird agreed, arguing that it was “an awful lot of money to change a few numbers and a few hours in a piece of software”.
The issue went to a vote. The committee was split 12-12 and the casting vote of city leader, Inverness Provost Helen Carmichael, means the common good fund will soak up the entire cost.