Number of proposals for future of Buncrana parking charges mooted at public consultation event

One hundred and four businesses have now signed a petition opposing any proposal to scrap the current free half hour parking on the main street.

A number of proposals were mooted at the drop-in public consultation event on Wednesday, including reducing the 30 free minutes to 15 minutes and another for the 30 minutes to remain but the parking fee be increased from 50c to one euro per hour.

Figures provided at the event outlined how in the year before the half hour was introduced, the revenue from parking charges in Buncrana was 275,000 euro. This reduced to 83,000 euro the year after the free half hour was introduced and to 70,000 the next year.

Paul Brogan, who owns health shop ‘Food for Thought,’ and who organised the petition, said traders would not accept a reduction from 30 to 15 minutes as it does not give customers much time.

"One issue is, perhaps you are elderly and can’t get parked close to where you want to go. You’re not feeling comfortable about going into the shop, maybe having to queue and talk to someone within that 15 minutes. You’re not going to want to take the chance, so you’ll pay and you’re back at pay and display with nothing free.”

Mr Brogan said the council need to ‘listen to the business people, residents and customers’.

"People come to Buncrana to shop. The shops bring people in, not the council. Shoppers rely on the shops to look after them and all the people who signed the petition pay rates. The 30 minutes belongs to the people, not the businesses and they are trying to take away something that the people have.”

In response to concerns expressed that it can be difficult to find a parking space on the main street during busy periods, Mr Brogan suggested that the town’s car parks be ‘better signposted,’ and that there be stronger policing by wardens of cars parked on the street.

"At the moment, the town is very busy and there have been many tourists. I definitely think we need better signs highlighting the car parks as a lot of strangers to the town don’t know about them.”

Mr Brogan said he is not against parking charges, or the council, but is ‘for businesses and people’.

"I am fully for charges and I’ve told them that. We know what would happen if charges weren’t there – everyone who works on the main street would park there all day. This is for businesses and people.”

Colr Nicholas Crossan said the public consultation event was attended by business people and residents not only from Buncrana but elsewhere and it was ‘great to see them and hear what they had to say’.

"We want to hear the feedback from the general public and what they think.”

Colr Crossan said many want to retain the free half hour parking, while the other two proposals were also mooted.

He added that the submissions will be collated and the decision will then be made by the nine councillors of the Inishowen Municipal District.

Colr Crossan said the figures confirmed at the consultation event highlighted how in 10 years, around two million euro in revenue was ‘lost to Buncrana town’ due to the free half hour.

"The parking charges are the only rates which are lifted and stay within that town. Over the last 10 years, probably around two million euro was lost in revenue to Buncrana and I think that could have been put to good use. Rather than asking businesses to funds things, the money could have been taken out of this fund to support it.

"There seems to be a strong feeling as well to keep the half hour and we really want people to tell us what they think.”