Fears that North Berwick parking meters will 'kill off' high street and community spirit
Business owners in North Berwick fear the introduction of parking charges could kill off the town’s thriving high street and sense of community.
The imminent introduction of pay and display parking has sparked outrage from locals with many deeming the move unnecessary and claiming the council has ignored the voice of the community.
The new measures will allow 45 minutes of free parking after which drivers will be charged £1 for up to 75 minutes and £2 for a maximum of 90 minutes.
The seaside town, known for its thriving high street and beautiful beaches was named the Times and Sunday Times’ best place to live in the UK in 2024 – but a walk through the town centre today shows the contempt for the newly installed ticket machines, where dozens have been vandalised with glue and other products, costing the council around £40,000.
Susan Oliver, who has lived in North Berwick most of her life and owns So&Co on the High Street said ‘nobody is for the parking charges’. And as co-chair of North Berwick Business Association (NBBA) she said the move could ‘kill the local economy’.
Mrs Oliver said: “North Berwick is a very special place, it's a lovely equation of natural heritage of the land and the sea, the architecture, the history – and the High Street is part of that equation.
“East Lothian Council is not listening to the local people of North Berwick – nobody is for the parking charges. A couple of years ago we presented the council with a petition of 7,000 signatures about the parking regulations and they dismissed it on some spurious reason.
“They say they are listening but they’re not and that's probably why some people are so frustrated that it's driven them to glue the new ticket machines so that they can't work. I don't endorse that because it's just costs more money but I can understand their frustration.”
Susan said that the NBBA had presented East Lothian Council with examples of other towns where the local economy had been ‘killed’ by the introduction of parking fees.
“When we give the council examples of other towns where parking fees have been introduced and how it has led in a downturn of the High Street, killed the number of visitors and footfall and killed the local economy number the council just say ‘oh that won't happen in North Berwick’. But we've spoken with these councils and we've got business statistics to show that has happened.
“The length of fee parking time doesn't really give people enough time to shop, go for a coffee or have a meeting with a lawyer or an architect, whatever it might be. It's going to break down the community.”
North Berwick is the first East Lothian town set for parking charges with plans in place for Musselburgh, Haddington, Dunbar and Tranent. East Lothian Council said the initiative will ‘increase the turnover of parking spaces to make it easier for people to access businesses and amenities during busy periods whilst encouraging sustainable travel’.
Susan Oliver said: “The council have not followed due systems and procedures and they've cut corners at every point to try and push it through. There were people who wrote to the council to voice their opposition to it and they all got letters back saying that their points were not valid and then asked them to withdraw their complaints. That is just astonishingly bad in my book.
“We want to keep North Berwick as a vibrant place and chipping away at it could destroy it. It would really break the hearts of many people in North Berwick if that happened.”
She added: “It's only in the peak summer months of school holidays that there are parking issues. The parking issues are not year-round like the council are claiming they are. It’s just a seasonal issue which could have been dealt with on a much easier scale without introducing these hideous signs and parking ticket machines.”
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: "Following significant public consultation and engagement, including with business owners, proposals to better manage North Berwick's town centre parking were approved at a council meeting in December 2024 and work is ongoing to deliver them.
"These measures are designed to address local challenges such as a lack of parking spaces during busy periods. By increasing the turnover of spaces, we aim to make it easier for people to access businesses and amenities and hope to see greater footfall as a result.
"In addition, the measures are intended to provide better parking enforcement and enhanced road safety while encouraging sustainable travel."
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