Features / kingswood
‘Confusing’ car park is driving shoppers away from high street
Kings Chase Shopping Centre in Kingswood has not long received a much needed face-lift.
South Gloucestershire Council began the regeneration in 2024 to beautify Regent Street and Kings Chase Shopping Centre, as well as supporting a series of Sunday Social markets with the aim of bringing more shoppers in.
But that might be for nothing, as local businesses say new regulations at Kings Chase Shopping Centre car park is driving customers – quite literally – away.
is needed now More than ever
Businesses have said that the change was “overnight.”
Several businesses in the area have closed, Mark’s Mobile Butchers is one of those businesses.
They attributed it directly to the new car parking rules.
Adam McGregor put his concerns to Maggie Tyrell on BBC Radio Bristol but was unhappy with her response.
Before South Gloucestershire Council introduced the MiPermit parking on 19 May, the workers and shoppers visiting Kings Chase Shopping Centre and high street would park in what was formerly an automatic number plate recognition (APNR) parking system.
In 2019, the cost started at 60p for up to an hour, going up to £5 for over four hours parking.
It’s now 70p for up to an hour and £4 for up to six, making it cheaper now to stay longer.
South Gloucestershire Council leader, Maggie Tyrrell, said in an interview with BBC Radio Bristol that they knew the parking “would be contentious,” but that they needed to look a ways to “close the budget gap”.
However, cost here isn’t the issue according to local businesses, it is the long-list of parking options confusing them and the app and contactless-only payment service apparently deterring older shoppers.
The free car parks at Lidl and Argos, consequently are now overflowing with customers who just can’t be bothered with the faff of this new operator.
The new parking system is apparently confusing locals.
Adam McGregor, manager at the Kings Chase Specsavers branch, says that customers are are confused between the ‘short stay’ and ‘long stay,’ and that having to guess how long they will be shopping for is a pressure that they rather not have.
“We’d have cues going out the door coming in to book appointments, but it’s just not there anymore.”
Members of staff are allegedly already being given less hours as the footfall declines, he adds.
He further explains that if any issues arise such as the “app crashing,” which he says happens often, it’s difficult to get any help.
Despite voicing his concerns in emails to the council, emailing their local MP Damien Egan and tagging councillors on Facebook, he says he has been ignored.
Most of the staff have worked in the area for years.
Yvonne Kelly, a Kingswood resident who has run Kingswood Florists in Kings Chase Shopping Centre for 20 years echoes Adam’s sentiments over the change: “we have a high level of older generation people in the precinct and they don’t want to be using apps and they don’t really understand the machines.”
Adding that they would be much happier to put in some loose change.
The most recent census shows that only around 1/5 of the Kingswood population is over the age over the age of 65.
Interestingly she says that the car park was never full, “even when it was free,” she puts the changes down solely to “making money.”
Kingswood Florists in Kings Chase Shopping Centre.
Andy Bakehouse’s partner is one of the older residents who has been put off by the changes.
Andy who has worked at Timsons for around eight years, living in Kingswood for 30, said that his girlfriend now parks elsewhere when she needs to get to the local pharmacy.
As she needs a walking stick for support, mobility is a massive issue for her and prioritising convenience and accessibility is a necessity.
“It was mistake,” he says simply.
He says its understandable that customers are choosing to go to Emersons Green, where they can park for free.
“There isn’t much around here, so people end up looking for things to do to use up their time.”
Timsons is a franchise, so it is owned by locals.
The carpark is no longer an option for workers at Kings Chase, according to Marcia Darby who works at Billings Pharmacy.
Prior to the new charges being introduced, there was a maximum stay of four hours for the whole of the Kings Chase car park.
This was not suitable for a number of retail workers who required longer stay lengths.
A permit was introduced which allowed retail workers who could prove that they were employed in Kingswood to park for longer than the 4 hours per day.
That cost around £75 per annum.
This permit no longer exists and staff can only apply for a season ticket which is £840 for a year.
However, the council have honoured the previous permits by allowing for any of the in-date £75 permits to be exempt from the parking charges until it runs out.
Billings Pharmacy was overflowing with people, leaving staff struggling to attend to them all.
A petition with more than a thousand supporters is calling for an alternative approach that includes free parking for the first two hours.
A spokesperson from South Gloucestershire Council said: “We are sorry to learn that one of the traders from the indoor market on Kingswood High Street has decided to leave and wish them well for the future.
“There has been significant investment and improvement work into the High Street and Kings Chase over the past months, with more to come in the near future, and occupancy levels for the retail units remains high with the centre currently fully let.
“The impact of the new parking scheme will take some time to assess, and we will be monitoring it over the coming months and comparing it against the baseline that we have already taken.
“We know from councils in other parts of the country where new car parking charges have been introduced that impacts in footfall have often tended to return to normal after a time, and we are beginning to see that locally.
“We also know that during the current school holidays, people’s working and shopping patterns can change.
“Our scheme includes 30 minutes of free parking when designated spaces are available, and the first hour is only 70p, with prices significantly lower than in many surrounding areas.
“We understand that any impact on trading for local businesses can be difficult, however we have had to take this step to help us meet the budgetary challenges we are faced with to support all of our local communities, including through regeneration work, but also supporting those in the community who need us the most.”
All photos: Hannah Massoudi
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