A Moray councillor hopes to extend a scheme aimed at boosting town-centre trade by allowing free parking across Elgin.
Moray Council agreed at an economic development and infrastructure committee meeting three weeks ago that charges will be waived at the town’s Batchen Lane multi-storey car park from 3pm onwards.
The scheme, which is due to begin in the summer, will run for six months, and research will be carried out to establish if the free parking improves trade.
However, Fochabers Lhanbryde councillor Douglas Ross wants to go further still and will urge members at tomorrow’s full council meeting to back his motion — seconded by Councillor James Allan — to expand the “free after three” trial across the town.
Councillor Ross said: “I sincerely hope our motion is passed as it is the easiest way to get the message out that the council wants to try new things to encourage shoppers into Elgin and help support businesses.
“While the trial of ‘free after three’ in one car-park is better than nothing, it will aid the publicity of this move if we can say all the car parks where there are currently charges will be free after 3pm.
“The trial already agreed will cost the council just over £5,000 in loss of income but extending it to a further 11 car-parks could be achieved with losses of less than £35,000 out of a total income from these car-parks of more than £500,000 per annum.
“I can imagine the unfairness some businesses will feel if it is just a single car-park at one end of Elgin which is included.”
The move was welcomed by some traders last night.
Dorothy Jack, owner of Dorothy Jacks Ladieswear on the High Street, said: “Douglas Ross has absolutely got the right idea. It shouldn’t be for one area only, and there has been bad feeling about it.
“I don’t know how people came up with that in the first place — prioritising one area over another. This would be a big help.”
David Cairns, of Baggs of Elgin in St Giles Shopping Centre, added: “If people were down in the retail park and decided to go into the town for a coffee or a leisurely stroll, if they can’t remember which car park costs and which is free, that could tip the balance the other way and they might not come into the centre at all.
“If all of the car parks were free, it would remove all doubts.”